


Unanchored

by camdin



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, ChONI AU, Cheryl Blossom Needs a Hug, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Slow Burn, Soft Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz, Toni Topaz Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2019-12-30 04:43:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 25,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18308417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/camdin/pseuds/camdin
Summary: Toni Topaz and Cheryl Blossom need an escape. Luckily, fate brings them together and Toni has a boat.Man idk where this came from, but enjoy!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I got inspired to write this after watching a dumb movie. I’m not the best writer, but I hope you enjoy it. I have most of the story planned out and if people like this first chapter, maybe I’ll continue it. Comments and feedback are appreciated.
> 
> Also, I know absolutely nothing about boats/sailing so I apologize if anything is an inaccurate description.

Pop’s Diner was the place to be on a Friday night during the summer in the small coastal town of Riverdale. Nestled along the shore next to the pier, the diner attracted all sorts of people: locals, tourists, fisherman and anyone else who may have stopped in the harbor for the night. 

Now, Toni Topaz sat in her usual corner booth with 2 of her best friends, drinking a chocolate milkshake and watching the boats go in and out of the harbor. 

Tomorrow, Toni would be on one of those boats leaving Riverdale and all her worries behind as she began her first solo adventure at sea. Toni had spent her entire life on and around sailboats and thanks to her grandfather, fell in love with sailing at a young age. He was one of the most important people in her life. He practically raised her. He taught her everything she knew about sailing, and in their time together on the water, she learned a lot of valuable life lessons too. Now, a month after her grandfather passed away, it seemed like a good time to get away from Riverdale. A week on the open ocean would give her a chance to clear her head and begin healing after her grandfather's death.

Her destination was a small island a few hundred nautical miles away that her grandfather had taken her to on one of their many adventures when she was about 12 years old. It was the first time she had ever gone snorkeling. She could remember seeing all the brightly colored fish in the crystal clear water like it was yesterday. Their trip to the island was one of their longer trips together. Despite the fact that Toni desperately wanted to go back, her grandfather's health wouldn't allow for such a long journey. 

On the day her grandfather passed away, she decided she would visit the island again for two reasons. First, she wanted to do it to honor her grandfather. He wouldn't want his boat sitting idly in the harbor forever. He'd be disappointed if Toni didn't put it to good use after he had left it for her. Secondly, Toni was having a hard time dealing with the grief associated with losing him. Grief on top of the pressures of everyday life was becoming a bit too much to handle. She just needed a break from it all. That's what brought her to Pop's tonight. She wanted one last milkshake with her friends, Fangs and Sweet Pea, before she sailed off into the sunset tomorrow.

"Are you nervous, Topaz?" Sweet Pea asked, stealing a fry off her plate.

"Why would I be? I've been doing this since I was a kid. I could make this trip with my eyes closed," Toni said confidently. Obviously that was an exaggeration, but Toni was too proud to admit that she would have several maps and a GPS system to tell her exactly where to go.

“I still think you should take someone with you, just to be safe. Anything could happen out there," Fangs said, a look of concern on his face. 

The sound of a ringing bell distracted Toni from the conversation as she looked up and saw the door of the diner open followed by a flash of red. Unable to look away, she watched as a girl took a seat on one of the stools at the counter and began chatting with Pop Tate. The girl was tall with waves of red hair cascading down her back, contrasting beautifully against her pale skin. Even from the back of the diner, Toni could see that the girl was very attractive.

After a moment of being ignored, Fangs waved his hand in front of her face in an attempt to regain her attention.

“Hello? Toni? Did you hear what I said?"Sweet Pea followed her gaze, a sly grin forming on his face as his eyes darted back and forth between the two girls.

“I think she's a little distracted," Sweet Pea said, earning him an elbow to the ribs from Toni. Fangs whipped his head around to see what his friends were looking at before rolling his eyes at them. 

"I'm serious Toni, it's dangerous to go alone."

After staring at the girl for what was perhaps too long, Toni returned her attention to Fangs. "You worry too much, I'll be fine." 

Sweet Pea stood up from his seat at the booth. "On that note, I should get going. It's getting late and I have work in the morning." 

"Maybe we should call it a night then. You need to rest up before tomorrow anyways," Fangs said, looking at Toni. 

Fangs was right, Toni had a long day ahead of her tomorrow. She still needed to pack and do a final check of all the equipment on the boat before she left just before sunset. 

The three friends stood up and said their goodbyes. As Toni hugged Fangs she caught another glimpse of the redhead sitting at the counter, sipping a strawberry milkshake. This time she was joined by a dark haired boy who, by the goofy grin on his face, seemed to be flirting with her. She didn't know why, but Toni got a sinking feeling at the sight of the two of them together. One thing she had learned from sailing with her grandfather was to always trust her gut. And right now, her gut was telling her that something wasn't right. She could tell by the look on the girl's face that she wasn't into this guy. She looked very uncomfortable with whatever he was saying to her.

Toni smiled at the boys and picked their checks up off the table. "Dinner is on me tonight guys. I'll see you in a week," she said as she began making her way to the cash register. Sweet Pea and Fangs thanked her and wished her luck on her trip. 

"Be safe, Toni," Fangs said as he followed Sweet Pea out of the diner. Toni waved goodbye as she approached the counter. 

"Enjoy your dinner Ms. Topaz?" Pop asked smiling and tapping buttons on the register. 

"Always," Toni replied, smiling back. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the redhead next to her stand up and start quickly walking towards the door, followed by the guy that had been sitting next to her. 

"Come on, what did I do?!" Toni heard him shout after the girl. The bell above the door rang loudly as he practically ran outside. Toni dug into the pocket of her jeans and quickly handed Pop some cash. "Keep the change," she said as she turned to walk outside. Immediately she could hear the guy's voice as her eyes scanned the boardwalk for the the pair.

She spotted them about 20 feet away, next to the pier. Although Toni couldn't hear exactly what they were saying over the sound of the ocean waves, the conversation didn't seem as heated as before. By this point they seemed to be having a normal conversation. Toni leaned against the wall of the diner and pulled out her phone pretending to scroll through Instagram as she desperately tried to listen to the conversation of the couple next to the pier. After a couple of moments of watching and listening closely, she put her phone back into her pocket and started making her way toward her car, assuming that everything was okay between the two. She glanced back up at the couple just as the guy placed his hand on the girl's arm. 

Walking a little closer now, Toni watched as the girl clenched her jaw, looking him in the eyes. "I said leave me the fuck alone," the girl hissed as she tore her arm away from his touch and turned to walk away from him. Just as she turned away he grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back.  
Before Toni could even realize what she was doing she felt her knuckles landing on the side of his jaw. 

"What the fuck?! Who are you?" He asked, wiping blood from his lip. 

"Doesn't matter. Who are you? And what makes you think you have the right to put your hands on someone like that?" She asked, stepping in between him and the redhead. 

"That's none of your damn business," he said as he tried to step around her. 

In one swift movement Toni reached into her back pocket and pulled out her switchblade, pointing it right at him.

"I suggest you go find something better to do than harass innocent girls," she said, never breaking eye contact with him. 

He looked down at the blade, then up at Toni, and then over her shoulder at the girl behind her before turning and walking back towards the diner. Toni waited until he was a safe distance away before closing the blade and slipping it back into her pocket. She turned to the girl behind her.

The girl was visibly shaken, her eyes shining with unshed tears as she stood with her arms folded across her chest. She seemed to be struggling to look Toni in the eye.

"Are you okay?" Toni asked, her voice filled with concern. 

"Yeah, thank you for interfering. I don't even want to think about what he would have tried to do if you hadn't showed up," the girl said quietly, a tear spilling onto her cheek. 

"Do you know him?"

"His name is Nick and he's a complete asshole who's always trying to get into my pants no matter how many times I reject him.

“Toni looked back toward the diner where she saw Nick walking towards a table next to the window where three other guys sat. She could deal with one guy easily, but if Nick brought his friends along next time, they might have a problem.

"We should get out of here in case he decides to come back. Did you drive here alone? I can walk you to your car," Toni offered. 

The girl looked at Toni as if she really wasn't sure what to do. Toni began to wonder if she had overstepped a boundary. She didn't even know this girl. She didn't even know her name, yet she had punched a guy in the face and threatened him with a knife for her and was now offering to walk her to her car. It was possible this girl thought she was crazy or just as creepy as Nick.

"I'm sorry, I just saw the way he looked at you and I knew that he was bad news. I just want to make sure you get home safely and-"

"Don't apologize, thank you for your help." The girl looked down, still with tears in her eyes.

“All I wanted was to escape from my hideous mother for a little while and drink my strawberry milkshake in peace, and now he ruined that for me. I can't go home right now and I can't stay here."

Toni thought for a moment. She wanted to help this girl who seemed so broken and conflicted. Even though she was a stranger, Toni knew what it felt like to have no where to go and no one to count on. She had felt that way a lot in the last month since her grandfather died. There was only one place she could go to hide away from the world: her grandfather's boat, her boat.

“I know of a place we can go, and it's only a short walk from here, but if you'd rather be alone, I totally get that," Toni said feeling a bit awkward about the whole situation. "I'm Toni by the way, Toni Topaz."

The redhead gave her a sad smile. "I have no one and no where to go, so lead the way, Toni Topaz."

The girls began walking along the boardwalk toward the harbor where all the boats were docked.

"I'm Cheryl Blossom."

Oh... Toni knew about the Blossoms, how Clifford had killed his own son and then himself, and based on what Cheryl said about wanting to get away, her mother must be batshit crazy too. 

Toni was a little confused. Growing up in Riverdale, she had heard about the Blossoms her entire life, but had never met any of them until now. Since the Blossom twins went to Riverdale High and Toni attended Southside High, their paths never crossed. Because they were one of the wealthiest families in town, Toni had always imagined the Blossom twins would be typical snobby rich brats, but the broken girl walking alongside her seemed like the complete opposite of that. 

"You're the Cheryl bombshell?" Toni asked raising an eyebrow at her. 

"In the flesh," Cheryl said proudly, allowing a bit of her HBIC attitude slip out. 

Toni chuckled. "I've heard a lot about you," Toni said stealing a glance at the beautiful redhead beside her. "Now I know why they call you Cheryl bombshell."

It was dark outside but Toni swore she saw a blush on Cheryl's face. The awkward tension between the two began to slowly fade as they walked and talked. 

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but why exactly can't you go home right now?" Toni asked hesitantly. She didn't want to make Cheryl uncomfortable, but she was genuinely curious. 

"My mother turned our home into her own private brothel. She has strange men over every night. I don't trust her or any of the company she keeps," Cheryl said, fear and annoyance apparent in her voice. 

"That sounds like a scary situation. I wouldn't want to go home either," Toni replied. 

The girls continued walking until they reached a row of boats lined up along a dock towards the end of the harbor.

"Where exactly are we going?" Cheryl asked, growing suspicious of where this stranger was taking her. It was unlike Cheryl to trust someone, especially a complete stranger. Everyone she had ever loved had left her in one way or another. Tonight, she felt as if she had no choice but to trust this girl. She could have gotten in her car and gone home, back to her horrible mother, with the risk of Nick following her there. The thought of both her mother and Nick makes her glad she decided against that. Being with a stranger was better than being with either of them. 

"We're almost there, I promise," Toni replied smiling.

Cheryl couldn't deny there was something charming about Toni. Perhaps she just wasn't used to people being nice to her, or maybe she found those pink highlights in her hair kind of cute. Maybe both. Regardless, she was glad Toni had come to her rescue back at Pop's.

"Here we are," Toni said excitedly as she stopped next to one of the boats. 

Cheryl looked between the boat and Toni, confused. 

"Who's boat is this?"

"It's mine."

Cheryl laughed out loud and crossed her arms in disbelief. 

"No offense Toni, but how does someone like you own a boat like this?"

Toni looked at her with a sad smile. "It was my grandfather's. He gave it to me before he died."

Toni carefully stepped onto the boat and then turned around to face Cheryl who was still standing on the dock seemingly in shock. She reached out her hand to her with a slight smirk. "You coming or not, bombshell?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, my plan is to try to update this weekly if people are still enjoying it. Thanks for the kudos and comments on the first chapter.

Hesitantly, Cheryl took Toni's hand and stepped onto the boat. She was still in a state of disbelief that this girl actually owned a boat like this. Coming from a wealthy family, she had nearly everything she could ever want in life, but owning a sailboat? The thought never even crossed her mind. She had been on a boat before, but she didn't know the first thing about sailing.

The boat wasn't huge, but it wasn't tiny either. There was a good amount of space on the outside to fit a small group of people comfortably. The outside of the boat was white with a wooden deck, the outer edges lined with places to sit. In the middle of the deck was a large wheel used for steering. The large white sails made the boat seem even bigger than it actually was. A small blue door in the middle led to the interior cabinToni walked over and opened the door as Cheryl followed.

"Watch your step," she said as she flipped on a light switch and stepped down the tiny wooden step leading into the cabin. On the left side was a kitchen area with a mini fridge, microwave, a small countertop and a table. On the right was a built in couch with black cushions, white pillows decorated the sides. A row of tiny windows lined the wall above it. A tiny room containing a toilet and a shower-head was on the far end of the couch. A narrow pathway through the middle led to a large bed that took up the entire back of the room. It was covered by several pillows and blankets and illuminated by a string of what looked like white Christmas lights along the edges of the ceiling. The area was very small, but not claustrophobic. In fact, it felt quite cozy and inviting.

Toni sat down and patted the seat next to her, inviting Cheryl to sit down too. 

"What do you think?" She asked. 

"It's... cozy," Cheryl replied as she looked around the small space. 

Toni chuckled, leaning farther back onto the couch.

"Yeah, it's pretty small but it will get me where I want to go."

"And where is that?" Cheryl asked curiously.

"Well, there's this island that I visited as a kid with my grandfather.. I'm going back there. I'm actually leaving tomorrow," Toni said. "It's a few hundred miles away, and I plan on being out for about a week."

At this point, Toni was sure Cheryl thought she was insane, but at least she was here, in the tiny cabin of this boat safe from Nick, her mother, and her mother's "clients." The thought of Cheryl being safe because of her actions made Toni feel all warm inside. Maybe Cheryl thought she was crazy, but Toni took satisfaction in the fact that she did the right thing by following her instincts back at Pop's. Now, here she was sitting next to this gorgeous redhead looking into the most gorgeous brown eyes.. 

Toni was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of Cheryl's voice.

"Toni?," Cheryl asked, breaking Toni from her gaze.

"Sorry what?" Toni quickly looked away slightly embarrassed, having been caught staring for the second time tonight.

"I asked who you were going with," Cheryl said.

"Oh, I'm going alone. I just want to get away for a few days, you know?" Toni responded quietly.

"I know the feeling. I often wish I could run away too," Cheryl said, staring at her hands in her lap. 

She reflected on the night's events and shuddered at the thought of Nick's hand on her shoulder. She never thought she'd end up on a boat with the smaller girl sitting next to her, but she's glad she did. Toni was pretty much still a stranger, but she seemed trustworthy enough. Most people would have walked right on past two people who seemed to be arguing, but Toni was brave enough to not only intervene, but also punch Nick in the face.

"Does your hand hurt?" She asked timidly, glancing at Toni's hand. "It was nice seeing him finally get what he deserved, but I'm sorry if you got hurt."

Toni looked down at her slightly swollen knuckles with a slight smile. She'd punch him again if given the chance.  

"Not really. I'm just glad you're okay. Nick seems like a real asshole. Does he bother you a lot?"

"No, only when I happen to run into him, like tonight," Cheryl responded with a sigh.

Toni held out her hand. "Let me see your phone."

Cheryl looked at her confused, but handed her phone over regardless. After a moment of tapping on the screen, Toni smiled and handed it back to her.

"There, now you can call or text me if he bothers you again."

Cheryl took the phone and slid it back into the back pocket of her high waisted jeans. She smiled back at the shorter girl sitting next to her. She had never been good at making friends. Being the HBIC of Riverdale High meant that everyone either avoided her or pretended to be her friend out of fear. This was different. Toni caught her in a moment of vulnerability and was nice to her not because of her social status, but because she wanted to do the right thing. Cheryl had never experienced that before. 

After talking for a while longer, chatting effortlessly about anything and everything, Cheryl pulled her phone back out of her pocket to check the time.

"It's getting late, my mother has likely closed up shop for the night. It's probably safe for me to go home," Cheryl said.

Toni fought back a yawn and reluctantly admitted that she should get home too. She exited the cabin of the boat and held the door open for Cheryl to follow. After that, she carefully climbed back onto the dock and turned around to take Cheryl's hand just as she had earlier. This time there was no hesitation on Cheryl's part. She immediately grabbed Toni's hand and allowed her to help her out of the boat. Once safely on the dock, Cheryl paused briefly before letting go of Toni's hand. Something inside her didn't want to let go. She had never met anyone who was so kind and easy to talk to as Toni had been tonight.

She craved genuine human connection, both emotionally and physically. It was something she rarely got to experience. In fact, she experienced it so rarely that she had forgotten how nice it felt just for someone to hold her hand, even if only for a brief moment. 

The two girls walked back to Pop's without much conversation. Despite barely knowing each other, the silence was quite comfortable, both girls finding it easy to just be in each other's company.

"You sure it's safe to go home?" Toni asked as she followed Cheryl to her cherry red convertible.

"I'm sure," Cheryl replied smiling back at Toni as she got into her car.

"Okay, well it was really nice meeting you, Cheryl. Sorry it was under such shitty circumstances," Toni said.

"It was nice meeting you too Toni, and thanks again for everything," Cheryl said as she started the engine.

"Good night, Cheryl."

"Good night, Toni."

And with that Toni watched Cheryl drive away before walking across the parking lot to her own car. As she drove home, she thought about the unexpected twist her night had taken and how she definitely wasn't crushing on Cheryl bombshell. She couldn't let these thoughts distract her from the task at hand, though. She needed to get home and get some rest so she could wake up bright and early and finish preparing for her trip.

It was almost 2 am by the time her head finally hit her pillow. Seconds after she closed her eyes, she heard her phone vibrate on the nightstand next to her bed, the screen lighting up the room. 

She sat up and grabbed the phone, squinting her eyes at the bright screen. It was a text message from an unknown number.

**Thanks again TT, I owe you a milkshake**

Toni smiled down at the screen and quickly saved the number in her phone under the name "Bombshell" with a cherry emoji next to it before replying to Cheryl's text.

**I’ll definitely take you up on that offer :) i like the nickname btw**

Toni fell asleep with a smile on her face, eager to start the day ahead of her and secretly hoping she'd wake up to another text message from her new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize I kinda bounce back and forth between Toni’s perspective and Cheryl’s perspective, but it’s mainly Toni’s perspective. I hope that’s not too confusing.. let me know what you think. All feedback is welcome and appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

Toni woke to the obnoxiously loud sound of the alarm on her phone and a warm ray of sunlight beaming through the window of her tiny bedroom in her uncle's trailer. Rolling over sleepily she hit the snooze button on the phone. 

In her half asleep state, memories from the previous night quickly flooded her mind. Images of red hair and brown eyes had her eyelids feeling less heavy and her heart beating a little faster as she began to wake up more fully.

She grabbed the phone again and to her disappointment, saw no new text messages. She opened the message app and reread the text exchange she had with Cheryl, just to make sure it hadn't all been a dream. 

She smiled as she gazed down at the brightly lit screen of the phone, wondering if by some miracle Cheryl had woken up thinking about her too. Toni decided that as soon as she got back, she would make a move on Cheryl Blossom. But for now, she needed to pack. 

She quickly changed out of the T-shirt she had slept in and put on a white tank top and jean shorts before grabbing her duffel bag and making her way over to the closet. She packed enough clothing for the week, mostly shorts and tanks, a few bikinis, and a few hoodies for when it got cold at night. After packing up all her clothes and putting them in her car, she started packing food. She decided it would be best to pack more than enough food for one week, just to be on the safe side, and tons of water of course. 

After packing all the necessities, Toni took one more look around her room to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. She saw her camera sitting on the nightstand next to the bed.

Photography was one of her passions, she loved taking photos of all the things she found beautiful. She silently debated on whether or not she should bring it. It would be nice to have it, but she wasn't sure it was worth the risk of dropping it in the ocean.

"Fuck it," she thought as she tossed it into her backpack. The purpose of this trip was for her to relax and escape, and the camera would only make that easier. 

It was mid afternoon by the time Toni got all of her belongings stored away in the sailboat. Although the boat seemed small, it had lots of compartments for storage. As she organized everything her mind drifted back to Cheryl and how she wished she could see her one more time before she left. She remembered her text from last night. 

"I owe you a milkshake,” she had said. 

"Did that mean she wanted to see me again? Or was she just being nice?" Toni wondered, her thoughts spiraling into a few moments of unnecessary overthinking. The more she thought about it, the more impatient she became. She decided it would be torture to wait a week before she knew the answers to her own questions about Cheryl. 

She grabbed her phone from her backpack and found Cheryl's name on her contact list.

**TT: Hey Bombshell, how bout that milkshake before I go?**

Toni anxiously awaited Cheryl's reply, hoping she didn't seem too desperate. At least everything was packed into the boat and Toni was basically ready to go.

She had gotten everything ready much quicker than expected, leaving her with a few hours to spare before she had planned on leaving. Glancing back down at her phone screen, she shoved it back into her pocket and went outside to check on the outside equipment and the sails, making sure everything seemed to be in good working order. 

Everything was going exactly as planned so far, maybe even better considering she was ahead of schedule. Despite this, Toni didn't feel ready to leave just yet. She felt like something was holding her back. With Cheryl in the back of her mind all day, she was sure it had something to do with her. 

Lost in thought again, Toni felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She immediately grabbed it and saw a new text message from the girl who was consuming a few too many of her thoughts.

**Bombshell: Sure! Meet me at Pop's in an hour?**

Toni responded immediately.

**TT: Sounds great, see you then :)**

A sense of relief washed over Toni as she reread the message. She was sure that seeing Cheryl again would ease her mind and make her feel fully prepared to leave. She just couldn't leave without seeing her again.

 

* * *

 

 

An hour later Toni was sitting in her usual corner booth at Pop's but there was no sign of Cheryl yet. She tried not to worry, but she couldn't help but think maybe Cheryl had changed her mind. Maybe Toni had been too forward or seemed too desperate.

Another 10 minutes went by as she silently debated on whether or not she should text her again. Just as she reached for her phone, the bell above the diner door finally rang as Cheryl walked in.

The immediate smile on Toni's face quickly faded as she saw the look on Cheryl's face. One look at her red puffy eyes made it obvious that Cheryl had been crying. She quickly slid into the booth across from Toni.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," she said not meeting Toni's eyes.

"Cheryl, what's wrong?" Toni asked quietly. 

Cheryl took a shaky breath and fought back tears as she prepared to tell the shorter girl what had happened.

"It's my mother again. After you texted me, I confronted her about having her... clients over every night. I told her it made me feel uncomfortable and unsafe in my own home and she got angry..," Cheryl said staring down at her hands on top of the table. 

Without thinking Toni grabbed her hand and held it in her own.

"Cheryl, did she hurt you?"

"No, but she threatened to send me away to some boarding school," Cheryl sighed again, tears returning to her eyes. "I don't know what's going to happen." 

The thought of Cheryl being sent away to a boarding school scared Toni. She didn't want to lose Cheryl before she even had her, even if it was just as a friend. Toni gently rubbed her thumb over the back of Cheryl's hand. 

"I'm so sorry, Cheryl. Do you think she'd really do that?"

"I don't know. She's capable of anything," Cheryl responded.

"You shouldn't go back there. Is there someone you can stay with for a while until things calm down?" Toni asked.

"I suppose I could stay with my cousin, Betty. Or maybe Veronica, but-"

"Or you could come with me and figure it out when we get back," Toni blurted out, interrupting Cheryl's thoughts with the proposition. Toni hadn't thought about what she said before she said it, but as the words spilled out of her mouth, she realized she really hoped Cheryl would agree to it. It seemed crazy, but Cheryl was dealing with a crazy situation. Ridiculous problems often require ridiculous solutions.

Cheryl laughed softly. "That would be nice, but I wouldn't want to impose. I know this is something you want to do alone." 

She had a point. Toni had said she wanted to go alone, but that was before she met Cheryl. Her desire to get to know Cheryl better had surpassed her desire to go sailing alone.

"Listen, I know we just met, but I like you, Cheryl. You seem like a really nice person, and from what you've told me about your situation, it sounds like you need some time away from Riverdale too," Toni said with sincerity in her voice.

Cheryl looked down at their hands still clasped together on top of the table. The amount of comfort she felt from something as simple as the feeling of Toni's thumb on the back of her hand surprised her. She felt so much more calm with Toni's hand in her own. There was just something about this girl that made Cheryl feel safe opening up to her. It was really nice to feel like someone cared for once, even if it wouldn't last. "You wouldn't like me if you got to know me better. I'm not a good person, Toni.”

"I'm sorry Cheryl, but I don't believe you. And you can't say I wouldn't like you if you don't give me the chance to get to know you better," Toni said while giving her hand a gentle squeeze. 

Cheryl smiled at that, making Toni realize that she was very interested in making the redhead smile more often.

"Come on, what have you got to lose?"

Cheryl thought about that question and realized the answer was nothing. She had nothing to lose. She and her mother hated each other. Her brother and best friend in the world was dead. Her father was dead. She could possibly be sent away to a boarding school. She had no real friends, yet there she sat with Toni Topaz asking her to sail the seas with her for a week and she really didn't have a reason to say no.

"Are you sure about this?" Cheryl asked meeting Toni's eyes now.

"I'm sure. I want you to come with me," Toni responded smiling.

“Okay," Cheryl said simply, smiling back at the shorter girl. 

“Wait, really?” Toni asked in shock.

”Like you said, what have I got to lose?” Cheryl said.

Toni squeezed her hand again before letting go and sliding out of the booth.

"Come on, you need to go home and grab some clothes and stuff before we leave," Toni said.

“Will you come with me? My mother is less likely to yell if I have someone over," Cheryl said, standing up next to Toni.

"Yeah, of course." 

To Toni's surprise, Cheryl grabbed her hand again as she led her to her car. The two girls left Pop's hand in hand, forgetting all about the milkshakes they had planned on ordering.

As they drove toward Cheryl's house and the reality set in that this was actually happening, Toni became way more excited for this little adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys like this chapter. This is probably gonna end up being really fluffy btw. Let me know what you think so far!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going up later than I wanted, but I spent more time on this chapter and I think it’s better than the previous ones. Let me know what you think!

Cheryl sped toward Thistlehouse in her red convertible with Toni riding shotgun. Her tight grip on the steering wheel was making her knuckles turn white.

"What are you gonna tell her?"

Shit. She hadn't thought that far ahead. She'd be gone for a week and she couldn't exactly tell her mother that she was going sailing with a friend she just met 2 days ago. She would freak out.

Just before she had met up with Toni, Cheryl and her mother had gotten into a pretty big argument. Maybe she could use that as excuse to be away for a week. No matter what she told her, it wouldn't matter once they were miles away on a boat with no cell phone service. She'd have no way of contacting her at all, but Cheryl liked the idea of that.

"I'll just tell her I'm staying at your house for a few days."

Chatting with Toni and agreeing to go with her had given Cheryl an unexpected boost of confidence and a bit of an adrenaline rush. She didn't have to face her mother alone this time. It was nice to have an ally, someone who knew her side of the story.

"What if she tries to text or call?"

The determination on Cheryl's face made it clear that she wasn't worried about that.

"Don't worry, she won't."

* * *

Toni knew the Blossom's were wealthy, but damn. The house was huge compared to her uncle's trailer. Following Cheryl to the front door had her feeling a little intimidated. She was definitely not excited to meet Penelope Blossom, the woman responsible for making Cheryl cry earlier. 

Cheryl looked over her shoulder at Toni. "Don't worry, we will make it quick," she said sensing Toni's apprehension.

Penelope was standing in the kitchen wearing a red silk robe and holding a glass of wine. Toni hated her already.

"Mother this is my friend, Toni Topaz," Cheryl said cheerfully gesturing behind her at Toni. "She has agreed to let me stay with her for a while. I'm sure you'll appreciate an empty house for a few days."

"Mrs. Blossom, it's nice to meet-"

"And what makes you think I'll allow you to do that?" Penelope said, interrupting and completely ignoring Toni.

Cheryl's smile faded as she took a few steps toward her mother, glaring at her.

"Because if you don't, I'll tell the entire town of Riverdale about your little business," she threatened.

Penelope rolled her eyes, but said nothing as she turned and walked away from the girls.

Cheryl's smile returned as she turned back to face Toni, who was still a bit shocked at what she had just witnessed.

"Come on, Toni, my room is upstairs."

Toni followed her up the stairs and into her bedroom. The room looked like a scene from a movie. Nearly everything was red, and the place was spotless.

"It's very you," Toni said looking around.

"Isn't it though?" Cheryl said making her way over to the closet and pulling out a duffel bag.

Toni leaned against the wall next to the door as she watched Cheryl fill the bag with clothes and other things she would need for the week.

"Do you think your mom is mad?"

"Of course she is, but like you said, we will deal with it when we get back."

Toni liked her use of the word "we." She wanted to be there for Cheryl. However, after hearing the conversation they just had with her mother, it seemed like Cheryl could handle herself. Cheryl hadn't given her mother much of a choice to protest her decision, and Toni was glad.

"I'm glad you stood up to her," Toni said.

"I don't think I could have if you hadn't been there. Thank you for coming here with me," she replied sincerely.

"You don't have to thank me, Cheryl. I'm your friend, that's what friends are for."

Cheryl couldn't help but smile at that. She had never had a real friend before and the fact that Toni already considered her a friend felt good, almost too good to be true.

A few minutes later, Cheryl's bag was full.

"Okay, I think that's everything," Cheryl said as she tossed a bikini into her bag and zipped it up. She threw the bag over her shoulder and walked over to where Toni stood next to the door, mentally preparing to face her mother one more time.

Toni smiled at her. "Ready when you are, bombshell."

The girls made their way back downstairs where Penelope sat on the sofa.

"It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Blossom," Toni lied politely.

"Goodbye mother, I'll be back sometime next week. Oh, and don't bother to call or text, I'll be busy," Cheryl called out casually.

And before Penelope could respond the girls were out the door, laughing excitedly in anticipation of what they were about to do.

* * *

They made it back to the harbor shortly before sunset. 

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Cheryl said as she stepped onto the boat.

"Are you scared?" Toni asked with a smirk.

"Should I be?"

Toni laughed. "No, but if you haven't spent much time on the water it makes sense to be a little nervous."

"I certainly haven't spent as much time on the water as you," Cheryl said. "I just hope you know what you're doing," she teased.

Toni stepped towards her, her smirk fading. "You can trust me, I promise," she said holding up her pinky finger to the taller girl.

Cheryl grasped it with her own. "Okay, I trust you."

Pinky promises seemed silly and childish, but Cheryl could tell that Toni meant it. And she did trust her. She wasn't sure why, but she felt safe with Toni- the night they met at the diner, earlier when she stood up to her mother, and now standing here on a sailboat, she felt safe.

"Okay, last chance, you sure you wanna do this?"

"I'm sure," she replied smiling at the shorter girl.

"Let's go then," Toni smiled back before going to open the sails.

The boat moved slowly out of the harbor and drifted further away from the shore as Toni darted around adjusting the sails and making sure everything was running smoothly.

Cheryl sat on the deck and watched Toni steer the boat and toy with the navigation system, which included a small screen and some buttons.

The way the smaller girl moved around the boat with such ease and confidence was impressive. It was clear she knew exactly what she was doing. Cheryl truly had nothing to worry about.

Once they were a good distance away from the harbor, Toni began showing Cheryl all the safety equipment on the boat, pointing out where the first aid kid and flares were kept. She hoped they would never need to use any of this stuff, but her grandfather had always lectured her about safety on the water, and it stuck with her.

"Life jackets are in here," she said lifting the top off of one of the storage boxes on the deck and pulling one out. "You know how to put one on, right?"

"Um.. I'm sure I could figure it out. How hard could it be?"

"It's not hard, but since I'm responsible for your safety, I need to make sure you know how to use it," she said securing the bulky orange life jacket around Cheryl's shoulders.

"Aye aye captain," Cheryl said trying and failing to sound serious.

Toni laughed as she buckled and tightened the straps around Cheryl's waist.

"Just make sure all these straps are tight enough, like this," Toni said.

Cheryl watched the shorter girl's careful fingers and realized it wasn't often that someone was this close to her or taking care of her like this, but she liked the feeling. She wondered what it would feel like if Toni's fingers were to slip past the life jacket and actually touch her..

"There you go," Toni said tightening the last strap and pulling Cheryl away from her thoughts. "Now you know how to put it on, just in case."

"Thanks," Cheryl replied as she began taking off the life jacket. Toni went back to the navigation screen and Cheryl immediately missed her being so close. Helping her put on a life jacket was such a small gesture but Cheryl craved the closeness that occurred in moments like that. Simply being in the presence of someone who seemed to truly enjoy her company felt nice.

The sun was setting now and they were a few miles away from the coast when Toni set the navigation to auto pilot and closed the sails.

"I thought we could stop here for the night and watch the sun set over Riverdale," she said.

"Perfect," Cheryl replied.

Toni went back inside the cabin of the boat while Cheryl sat back down on the deck. Moments later Toni returned with a bottle of champagne and two glasses.

"And I thought we should celebrate the fact that we aren't in Riverdale anymore," Toni said smiling as she filled each glass and sat down next to the taller girl.

Cheryl was somewhat speechless. She had only known Toni a couple of days, and so far she had been full of surprises. She wasn't sure what she had done to deserve this moment with this person who had been nothing but thoughtful and kind.

"Cheers," Cheryl said raising her glass up to Toni's, clinking then together.

"To being away from that shitty town," Toni said.

Cheryl gazed at the town of Riverdale in the distance as the sun set behind it and for once in her life, she felt free. Even confined to a small boat, she felt more free than she ever had before.

"You okay?" Toni asked, looking over at her.

"Yeah, it's just strange," she responded quietly.

"What do you mean?" Toni asked before taking a sip of her champagne.

"Just being away from everything.. it's nice, you know? I'm really glad I agreed to come with you."

"I'm glad too. Now that we're out here, I think it would have gotten really lonely if you hadn't agreed to come."

The conversation continued until the sun had set. It was dark now, the boat only illuminated by the stars and a few small lights on the deck. The champagne glasses were long forgotten as the pair passed the bottle back and forth. The buzz hit them both quicker and harder than either of them expected.

"Why is it so cold?" Cheryl asked hugging her knees to her chest.

"Maybe, just maybe, it's because the sun went down and the wind is blowing," Toni sneered.

Cheryl giggled and nudged her playfully. "Oh my god, Toni, obviously. But I didn't think it would get _that_  cold," she said, still laughing along with Toni.

"Didn't you bring any warm clothes?" Toni asked.

"Noooo. You're the sailor, not me. You're supposed to warn me of such things like the cold," Cheryl pouted.

"Wow, what am I going to do with you, Blossom?" Toni said as she stood up, making a conscious effort not to fall over in her tipsy state. "Stay here, I'll be back in a second."

Cheryl was pretty tipsy too, and unable to contain her laughter. "What do you mean stay here? We're on a boat. Where would I go?" She slurred between giggles.

Toni rolled her eyes playfully and stepped into the cabin of the boat. Moments later she returned with a black sweatshirt that said "Southside High" on the front and a blanket. She tossed the sweatshirt to Cheryl and sat back down next to her. Cheryl slipped the shirt on as Toni covered them both with the blanket.

"It looks cute on you," Toni said, the compliment rolling off her tongue easily as the alcohol made her feel more brave than usual.

"Everything looks cute on me," Cheryl said without hesitation.

"True."

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you were flirting with me, TT."

"Maybe I am."

"Maybe I like it."

Sometime between their flirty banter both girls had leaned in closer to each other. Their faces were only inches apart when Toni's eyes darted to Cheryl's lips before quickly moving away and putting some distance between them again. She couldn't risk screwing this up so soon, especially when neither of them were sober.

Cheryl giggled and interlaced their fingers under the blanket. The feeling of their fingers intertwined just felt so natural and easy. Cheryl wondered if they would be holding hands or having this conversation if they were both sober. She hoped they would, but for now she thought it might be best to change the subject.

"TT... Toni Topaz.. is that your real name?"

"I was named after my grandmother. Toni is short for Antoinette, so yeah it's my real name." She rubbed her thumb on the back of Cheryl's hand. "TT is a cute nickname though."

"I agree."

The girls sat in silence a while longer, listening to the soft waves hitting the boat and looking at the stars, until Cheryl leaned her head on Toni's shoulder.

"Tired?" Toni asked.

"Mmhmm," Cheryl mumbled in response.

"Come on, let's go to bed," Toni said standing up and pulling Cheryl up with her. Cheryl wrapped the blanket around her shoulders as she allowed Toni to lead her into the cabin, never letting go of her hand.

"You can have the bed, I'll take the couch," Toni said as Cheryl nearly collapsed onto the bed. If she hadn't been so exhausted, she would have protested. But she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. She was asleep moments after her head hit the pillow.

Toni grabbed one of the blankets off the bed and took it to the couch. She glanced back at Cheryl who was sleeping so peacefully in the middle of the sea of pillows. Toni thought she looked adorable, and eager she could capture the moment, she grabbed her camera out of her backpack and snapped a photo.

After the small picture printed out of the bottom of the Polaroid, she tucked the camera safely back into her backpack and pinned the photo to the wall next to the bed where several other photos were displayed. There were photos of her grandparents and her friends, but the latest addition became her new favorite. She smiled at the picture before laying down and quickly drifting off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much for uploading once a week huh? I’m busy af, but the next chapter will be up really really soon, I promise.

_"You can never be too careful."_

Toni jolted upright as she heard her grandfather's voice in her head, waking her from an otherwise peaceful sleep.

She remembered the stories he told about he and his sailing buddies sleeping in shifts when they would go on longer trips, ensuring that someone was always watching out for any potential danger whether it was a storm, another boat approaching their path, or some other unforeseen threat.

She got up quickly and stepped out onto the deck into the chilly night air, taking note of every light she could see in the distance. She made sure they would avoid all shipping lanes on their travels, and the boat would barely move while they slept. Despite this, Toni's instincts still kicked in and she woke up every couple of hours with the urge to step outside and make sure everything was okay.

She quietly opened the door and made her way back to the makeshift bed she had made on the couch, doing everything she could to not wake the sleeping beauty occupying the other bed.

As Toni tried to adjust herself into a more cozy position, she heard movement and then a cry coming from Cheryl's direction.

"Cheryl?"

Cheryl mumbled something unintelligible, but it sounded as if she was in distress. She must have been having a nightmare.

Toni stood up and made her way over to Cheryl quietly, not wanting to scare her.

"Cheryl?" She whispered again.

Cheryl rolled over on her side facing away from Toni. After a moment, Cheryl's breathing seemed to even back out. Toni decided not to wake her, but made a mental note to ask her about the nightmare the following day.

* * *

 

Cheryl woke up in a cloudy haze. Her head was pounding and for a moment, she didn't know where she was. She sat up in the comfy bed and rubbed her eyes. She yawned sleepily as she took in her surroundings. To her surprise, there was no sign of Toni anywhere.

_Toni._

The girl she had spent last night flirting and drinking with. The girl who had given up her bed for her. The girl who made her feel so much better just by holding her hand. The girl she had known for two days.

_Two days._

How could she feel safe and comfortable in the presence of someone she has known for such a brief amount of time?

As she spent more time with the pink haired sailor, it was becoming more obvious that Cheryl had a crush on her. Normally, this would scare Cheryl. The possibility of rejection was terrifying for her, but to her amazement, judging by all the flirting, Toni seemed to reciprocate her feelings.

She felt so alive last night, talking and laughing with Toni in the middle of the ocean under the stars. It felt right, like that was exactly where she was supposed to be. It was the most fun she had had in a long time. She remembered looking at Toni's lips as they talked and being tempted to kiss her, but she was unsure if the alcohol was impairing her decision making. Glancing down at Toni's sweatshirt that she had slept in, she decides that her judgement was in fact not impaired because now, completely sober (albeit a little hungover) Cheryl thinks she'd still like to kiss Toni Topaz.

She shielded her eyes as a sudden ray of sunshine burst into the room with the sound of the door opening.

"Morning sleepyhead," Toni chuckled as she walked through the door. "How'd you sleep?"

"Amazingly," Cheryl responded.

Toni was wearing a black bikini top with short black shorts, showing off her small, but toned figure. It took every ounce of Cheryl's willpower not to stare.

Toni smiled as she handed Cheryl a bottle of water and an aspirin.

"How do you do that?" Cheryl asked.

"Do what?"

"Know exactly what I need when I need it," Cheryl said before popping the aspirin in her mouth and chugging half the bottle of water.

Toni shrugged. "You seemed pretty tipsy last night."

Cheryl giggled, "I was. Thank you for the sweatshirt, and for letting me sleep in your bed. You didn't have to do that."

"Yeah, but I wanted to. By the way, you look really cute when you sleep," Toni said with a smirk, pointing out the photo she had taken of Cheryl last night.

A blush crept up on Cheryl's cheeks as she looked at the photo, her heart beating a little faster in response to the compliment. Cheryl's dominating nature seemed to nearly disappear when Toni was around. Instead of being bold and sassy like her HBIC role allowed, she often felt a little nervous around Toni. "You're such a dork," she teased.

Toni took note of how different Cheryl looked now compared to when they first met. That night at the diner, Cheryl was wearing bright red lipstick and her hair fell in perfect waves down her back. Toni thought she was absolutely stunning in her makeup and heels. But now, Cheryl was wearing no make up. Her hair wasn't styled perfectly and she wasn't wearing any fancy clothes, just Toni's old sweatshirt and a pair of shorts. She was sure that this was a side of Cheryl that most people didn't get to see. It was a sight Toni thought she could get used to waking up to.

"Hmm. Cute when you're embarrassed too," Toni said leaning against the door, unable to wipe the grin off her face.

Cheryl rolled her eyes playfully unsure of how to respond to the flirty compliments that Toni seemed to love dishing out unexpectedly.

"And how did you sleep, TT?," Cheryl asked, changing the subject in an effort to rid herself of the blush on her cheeks.

"Honestly, not so good. I woke up in the middle of the night a couple of times," Toni said. "Speaking of not sleeping well, I think you had a nightmare last night?"

"Oh, possibly. I don't remember," Cheryl said, still embarrassed. "They are a common occurrence for me."

"What are your nightmares about?" Toni asked curiously. She had a good idea of what the answer to that question was, but she wanted to give Cheryl the opportunity to talk about it if she wanted, and to let her know that she cared.

"My brother, mostly," Cheryl said, nervously peeling the plastic label off of the water bottle in her hands. "I miss him a lot."

Toni looked at the ground sadly, unsure of how to address such a heavy subject.

Cheryl stood up and stretched, not particularly keen on talking about the subject of her nightmares first thing in the morning, though she appreciated Toni's concern. "I'm going to shower."

Toni reached out a hand to stop her. "Wait."

Toni stepped closer to Cheryl and gently wrapped her arms around the taller girl's waist. Cheryl immediately hugged her back, resting her chin on Toni's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry. We don't have to talk about it, but if you ever want to, I'm a good listener," Toni said.

Cheryl smiled and hugged her a little tighter, enjoying the feeling of Toni's bare back on her fingertips. Her skin was soft and warm, just as Cheryl expected. Though the sun wasn't kind to her pale skin, she was very thankful for it since it meant Toni would dress like this. As much as she loved the sweatshirt she was wearing, she wished she was wearing a bikini too, so that she could feel Toni's hands on her bare skin. "Thanks, TT. That means a lot."

The pair stood there for a long moment enjoying each other's embrace. The simple act of hugging was strangely intimate as the morning sun poured in through the tiny windows and the boat rocked through the ocean waves. Neither of them wanted to let go.

Cheryl completely melted into Toni's embrace. She couldn't get enough of the feeling of Toni's body against hers, the smell of her fruity shampoo, or her arms wrapped securely around her waist. Toni's arms were small, but toned and strong. They made her feel safe and secure. The contact was enough to get Cheryl's heart racing. Though she was nervous, she craved even more intimacy, more of Toni. So much that she couldn't resist the urge to turn her head and plant a soft kiss on Toni's temple.

Toni's eyes closed at the feeling of soft lips on her skin. She leaned back and smiled softly. "I'll be outside," she said turning to walk back out the door, her hand lingering on Cheryl's waist for a brief moment, and Cheryl missed her touch as soon as she pulled away.

* * *

 

Toni opened the sails, allowing the wind to propel the boat along at a faster pace before going to stand at the wheel. Her eyes scanned the map on the small screen and she turned the wheel slightly. Focused on navigating, Toni jumped at the sound of the door opening. She looked up to see Cheryl walk through the doorway and the sight nearly took her breath away.

Cheryl was wearing a red bikini and sunglasses, her hair still slightly damp from the shower. Her pale skin contrasting beautifully with her red hair. Toni found Cheryl attractive from the moment she saw her but damn, she had never seen her like this, never seen her show off so much skin at one time. She looked hot, and Toni couldn't take her eyes off of her.

"Everything okay, TT?" Cheryl asked taking note of the way Toni was staring at her. She smirked as she ran her fingers through her hair and walked over to Toni.

Toni forced herself to look back down at the small screen. "Um, yeah. We should be able to reach the island sometime tomorrow morning if we stay on course."

"Your sailing skills are very impressive," Cheryl said as she watched Toni work from over her shoulder.

Toni blushed, a rare sight, Cheryl had noticed. "I'm not nearly as good as my grandfather was, but thanks. He was a good teacher."

"Will you teach me sometime?" Cheryl asked.

"What? How to sail?" Toni responded, a bit shocked that a girl like Cheryl would be interested in such a hobby.

"Yes," Cheryl said, "being out here is more fun than I thought it would be."

"Well I'm glad you're having a good time," Toni smiled at her. "Learning how to sail takes a lot of time and experience, but yeah, I'd be happy to teach you what I know."

Cheryl looked down at her bikini and her pale skin wondering if she could ever actually be as good at something as Toni was at sailing. "I look nothing like a sailor," she laughed.

Toni laughed too. "Neither do I."

The girls were quiet for a moment before Toni turned to Cheryl with a smirk. "I can make you look more like a sailor."

Toni disappeared into the cabin before Cheryl could even respond. She returned a moment later with her hands behind her back. "Close your eyes," Toni said excitedly.

Despite her skepticism of what Toni was hiding behind her back, Cheryl closed her eyes. After all, she trusted the shorter girl.

Toni hurried over to Cheryl and placed a white sailors hat with a blue anchor on the front on her head.

"Cute as always," she said with a laugh. "Now you look like a sailor."

Cheryl opened her eyes and grabbed the hat to look at it. "I must say I have nothing like this in my wardrobe, TT, but I like it."

"My grandpa got it for me years ago," Toni said. "It looks better on you though."

Cheryl stood up and made her way over to the wheel, placing her hands on it carefully as to not steer the boat off course.

"I definitely look like a sailor now," she said, laughing at the silliness of the situation and Toni's childlike sense of humor.

"Actually, from this angle you look more like a model, don't move," Toni said as she disappeared into the cabin once again. She returned a moment later with her camera in her hands, snapping another photo as Cheryl posed, hands placed on the wheel as she pretended to steer the boat.

Toni grabbed the photo after it printed from the camera and waved it in the air so it would develop faster. She held it up so Cheryl could see it too. Cheryl looked incredible. Being stuck on a boat with Cheryl Blossom might be the best thing that has ever happened to Toni in her life. It was in that moment, looking at the photo, that Toni realized she had to tell her. She was crushing on this girl hard. She wouldn't be able to stay quiet about it until they got back to Riverdale. As soon as the moment was right, she would tell her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is all fluff but there is a plot, I promise. This chapter was kinda just a filler but I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for all the kudos and comments.


	6. Chapter 6

Toni spent the rest of the day stealing glances at Cheryl and thinking about what she would say to her and when she would say it. Did Cheryl like her too? or was this just harmless flirting between two friends? She couldn't be sure until she asked.

She thought about their embrace this morning and how nice it felt just to hold the taller girl for a minute and how she practically melted when Cheryl kissed her temple.

She thought about other things too, like what it would feel like to run her fingers through long red waves of hair, what it would feel like to press her lips to the pale skin of Cheryl's neck and hear her own name whispered between soft sighs and moans.

Fuck, she was already in way too deep.

Cheryl's long legs on full display on the opposite side of the deck was making it hard for Toni to focus on anything other than how fucking good she looked.

They spent the remainder of the evening mostly in comfortable silence enjoying the sun as Toni was lost in thought and Cheryl was lost in a book. They say time flies when you're having fun, but it was ridiculous how quickly time passed in the company of Cheryl Blossom.

With the sun warming her skin and her lack of sleep the previous night, Toni eventually found herself fighting sleep, despite it being the middle of the afternoon. She couldn't waste her time napping when the girl of her dreams was sitting 5 feet away. Instead of allowing her thoughts to consume her or falling asleep, she opted for a cold shower in hopes that it would help clear her head and wake her up. She needed to be prepared for the inevitable conversation that she needed to have with Cheryl. If she had to keep her feelings bottled up for much longer, she might explode.

* * *

 

Later that night, a full moon illuminated their surroundings to the point that the lights on the deck weren't necessary. After turning them off, Toni grabbed the blanket they had used for warmth the previous night and spread it out on the deck of the boat. She laid down on the blanket, hands folded behind her head and looked up at the night sky as billions of stars stared back.

Much like the previous night, the air was chilly, resulting in Toni putting a t-shirt over her bikini and Cheryl going inside to grab the sweatshirt Toni had given her last night before joining Toni on the blanket. It was peaceful. The only sounds they could hear were the wind and the waves.

They laid in silence for a while until Cheryl finally spoke.

"The last time I stargazed was with Jason.. he used to sit out on the balcony of Thornhill with me when I couldn't sleep."

Toni turned on her side facing the taller girl, head propped up by her hand.

"He sounds like an amazing person," she said genuinely.

"He was. Sometimes I wonder why it had to be him that died and not me," Cheryl said softly.

Toni's heart broke. She wanted to wrap Cheryl in her arms and protect her from anyone and anything that could ever hurt her. She wondered briefly how such an amazing person could be so utterly broken. And then she remembered how she had been feeling since her grandfather passed away. She knew firsthand how grief could fuck up every aspect of a person's life.

"Maybe I'm being selfish but I'm glad it wasn't you," Toni said grabbing her hand and intertwining their fingers. "I'm glad you're here with me."

"You might be the only person who feels that way, Toni," she responded, still staring at the sky with tear filled eyes.

"I really mean it, Cheryl. You're sensational."

Cheryl turned her head now to look at Toni as a tear spilled over her cheek. She couldn't believe how someone like Toni could say something like that about her. For reasons unbeknownst to her, Cheryl had felt comfortable enough to let down her walls and be vulnerable with Toni. Toni knew about her horrible family life and that the loss of her brother still haunted her. She had so much baggage, but here was Toni holding her hand and calling her sensational. She wanted nothing more than to kiss her.

"TT.." she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Toni untangled their fingers and brought her hand to Cheryl's cheek, wiping away a tear. Her hand lingered on Cheryl's face as she searched her sad eyes for any sign of how to comfort her.

"Kiss me," Cheryl breathed, never breaking eye contact as she moved her hand to Toni's waist, gripping her t-shirt.

Toni said nothing, but mirrored Cheryl's movement and slipped her hand under her sweatshirt that Cheryl was wearing, slowly moving her fingertips up and down the warm skin of Cheryl's side as she leaned in closer, searching her eyes again for any sign of hesitation or regret, but she found none.

Hovering slightly above the taller girl, Toni leaned down so that their foreheads were touching, savoring the intimacy of the moment.

Toni felt as if her heart might beat out of her chest as she closed her eyes and slowly inched closer before their lips finally touched and Cheryl whimpered softly at the contact. The kiss was slow and gentle. Their lips moved against each other with such ease, it felt as if they were made for each other.

They continued kissing softly and slowly as Cheryl ran her fingers through Toni's long pink highlighted hair, enjoying every second that Toni's lips were attached to hers.

Toni finally pulled back for air before placing one more gentle peck to Cheryl's lips and moving to lie back down next to her.

"Fuck.." she mumbled, her voice low and raspy as she tried to catch her breath.

Cheryl smiled as she scooted closer, wrapping an arm around the shorter girls waist. After a moment, Toni turned back to Cheryl and did the same, pulling Cheryl even closer.

"I've wanted to do that since I first saw you at Pop's," Toni said shyly. "I really, really like you, Cheryl."

"I really, really like you too TT. You're unlike anyone I've ever met."

They laid together on the deck for a while longer holding each other. Toni lightly dragged her nails across the skin of Cheryl's back underneath her sweatshirt as her eyelids became heavier and heavier.

"TT, we should sleep," Cheryl said, noticing Toni's struggle to keep her eyes open.

She was exhausted, but she didn't want to ruin the moment, didn't want to move out of Cheryl's arms. The hard wood underneath them wasn't comfortable at all, but lying there with Cheryl was worth it.

"I'm not that tired," Toni lied.

Cheryl laughed amusedly at the obvious lie as she stood up. She offered a hand to Toni to help her up as well before going inside. Once inside the cozy cabin, Cheryl turned to Toni, who was following close behind. She bit her lip, unsure of how to ask for what she wanted without being awkward or scaring Toni away.

Toni noticed her hesitation and took her hand again before she spoke. "You okay?" She asked stroking the back of her hand.

"Yeah," Cheryl responded quietly. A small smile quickly formed on her face. Toni always knew how to comfort her. "Will you sleep with me tonight? I don't want to be alone.."

"Of course," Toni said, already climbing onto the large cozy bed at the front of the boat.

Now that Cheryl knew how she felt about her and even reciprocated those feelings, Toni felt relieved, like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Tomorrow they would finally reach their destination, the island. Everything about this trip had been perfect. Nothing could ruin this for her.

Cheryl followed, climbing under their shared blanket and laying her head on the shorter girl's chest. Toni wrapped her arms around her and quickly fell asleep. Cheryl wondered if this is what true happiness felt like, and how long she could enjoy it before it's ripped away like every other good thing in her life. For now, she decided to put her negative thoughts aside and just enjoy the moment. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep to the sound of steady breaths and the rise and fall of Toni's chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this is kinda short :/ hope you like it though


	7. Chapter 7

Sailing was much more difficult than Toni had realized. She knew it wasn't easy, but damn, things get a lot more stressful when you're the one in responsible for everything. For the first time, her grandfather wasn't here to take charge and be the leader, the captain. Toni was the captain now, and while she was wrapped up in the arms of a beautiful girl in a cozy, warm bed, she knew she had to get up.

She carefully moved Cheryl's arm from her waist and got out of bed as quietly as possible. She walked stealthily through the dimly lit cabin to the door and opened it slowly before stepping outside.

The cold morning air made her shiver immediately as the smell of salt filled her nostrils. The boat rocked gently as the wind pushed the waves against it, and on the horizon was one of the most beautiful sunrises Toni had ever seen. She had never been much of a morning person, but after seeing this view, maybe that could change.

She wondered how many sunrises her grandfather had experienced like this. She wondered how many he had experienced while she was inside, still sleeping like Cheryl was now. She wondered if he could have possibly known which morning would be his last morning on the water.

She had so many questions that would never be answered, but the most overwhelming thought was the thought of how badly she wished he could see this now. He was gone, and no matter how much she tried to run away from it, she couldn't. Even now with nothing but water around for miles, she couldn't escape this.

It's funny how grief can completely suck the air out of your lungs in moments when you least expect it. What would typically be a happy moment can become seemingly unbearable when it's missing something or someone that is gone forever and irreplaceable.

Toni was crying now, something she hadn't done much of in the past month since he passed away. It was easier to ignore the feelings rather than face them head on. Besides, she had other things to worry about, like school and work. She didn't have time to be sad.

But now she did have time. There was no precise schedule to stick to or routine that she had to follow. So she allowed herself to cry for once. By the time she had no more tears, the sun had risen fully above the horizon. To her surprise, she felt relieved afterwards, as if some of those feelings she had been harboring were being set free. Maybe they would come back from time to time, but for now she felt a little lighter.

She stepped over to the wheel and checked the map before opening and adjusting the sails. It looked like they would reach the island in only a couple of hours. The open ocean was incredible, but a change of scenery would be nice.

Just as she was about to go back inside, the door flew open and Cheryl stepped out looking like she had just seen a ghost.

"Toni?" She said, scanning the boat until her eyes found the shorter girl.

"I'm here," Toni said walking over and grabbing Cheryl's waist. "Is everything okay?"

She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "Yeah, sorry, I just woke up and you weren't there and I sort of panicked a little," She said as her cheeks began turning red.

"Hey, it's okay, I'm right here," Toni said, pulling her in closer for a hug. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to wake you."

"It's fine, I'm sorry. I just got scared," Cheryl said shyly as she buried her face in Toni's shoulder as Toni rubbed her back comfortingly.

Toni pulled away and gently took Cheryl's face in her hands. She looked into her eyes for a moment before kissing her softly. Cheryl relaxed into the kiss, immediately feeling better.

"Don't ever apologize for how you feel, babe," Toni said while stroking her cheek with her thumb. "I think getting off this boat for a little while will be good for both of us."

Cheryl nodded in agreement, still feeling a little embarrassed for panicking over something so silly. Seeing the empty bed while being slightly disoriented from just waking up, her first thought was that Toni had left her, just like everyone else in her life. Now, more awake, she realized just how illogical that thought was considering they were on a boat. Toni couldn't physically leave her.. At least not for the next few days.

* * *

 

It wasn't long before a tiny speck of land came into view on the horizon. As they drifted closer, Toni snapped a few photos of the island and a couple of candid photos of Cheryl looking out into the distance. If she kept this up, she would need another photo wall soon.

They drifted closer to the small wooden dock on the west side of the island, used mainly by fisherman and other small boats that passed by. When they were close enough, Toni lowered the sails and the anchor before grabbing a rope attached to the boat and climbing onto the dock. She tied the rope around one of the wooden posts as Cheryl watched, still impressed by Toni's knowledge and skills.

She followed Toni onto the dock and took her hand as both girls looked around, taking in the view of the island. "Are you happy, TT?"

"I am. I'm glad we're finally here. Are you happy?" Toni really hoped the answer was yes.

"Yes, but this is about you. This is your adventure," Cheryl said, grabbing Toni's other hand and facing her. "If you're happy, then I'm happy."

"I'd be a hell of a lot less happy without you here." Toni had barely gotten the words out before Cheryl's lips were on hers in a long, passionate kiss. When their lips finally parted, Cheryl walked toward the beach before looking over her shoulder at Toni who was still standing in the same spot, breathless and speechless. "What are you waiting for, TT?" She smirked.

* * *

 

The island wasn't huge, but it would take a couple of hours to walk around the perimeter of it, which was their plan for now. It was oval shaped and about a mile wide. It looked even smaller than Toni remembered it. The middle of the island was covered in trees and other greenery. To the average person, it would probably seem like a boring place. Beautiful, but boring. For Toni, it was nostalgic. It made her think of a time in her life when things were simple and brought back memories of her grandfather that she would hold onto forever. As she stepped onto the sand, her camera hanging from her neck, she hoped that he would be proud of her for making the journey back here.

The pair walked hand in hand around the island, grateful for the cool waves crashing around their feet as the sun beat down on them, stopping occasionally so that Toni could take photos of anything that happened to catch her eye. They had walked nearly the entire perimeter of the island when Cheryl stopped suddenly, pulling on Toni's hand.

"Hey, did you do this?" She asked making her way over to a large tree. On the trunk, carved in large letters was Toni's name.

Toni smiled and traced the letters with her finger. "Holy shit. I had forgotten all about this.. my grandfather did it. I wanted to do it but he didn't trust me with his knife, so he did it for me."

Cheryl laughed at the thought of Toni not being allowed to use a knife. It was such a stark contrast to the Toni she knew now, the Toni who didn't hesitate to use a knife to threaten someone, just to protect her. "You know, I think he'd be really proud of you, TT."

"I hope so," Toni said as a tear escaped down her cheek.

Cheryl quickly wiped it away and leaned down to kiss her cheek. "I know so."

Toni took a picture of the tree. "Sorry for getting emotional... it's just weird being back here without him."

Cheryl took both of Toni's hands in her own. "Toni, remember what you said to me this morning about apologizing for how you feel? You don't have to bottle everything up. You can talk to me, and it's okay to cry. I'm here for you."

Toni knew she was right. It wasn't healthy to bottle everything up, but that's what she had always done. She had never had someone like Cheryl who encouraged her to be vulnerable. She had never felt comfortable enough to cry or talk about her emotions with another person, but she was starting to feel that comfort and openness with Cheryl.

"Thanks, babe," Toni said before taking one more look at the tree. Some day, she would be able to recall memories of her grandfather without feeling sad, but today was not that day, and that was okay. As long as she had Cheryl by her side, she knew she would be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that was kinda depressing. Next chapter will be happier :)


	8. Chapter 8

It was mid afternoon by the time they made it back to the dock. The pair sat down on the sand, tired and sweating from walking in the sun for so long.

"Do you want to go swimming?" Toni asked excitedly, already pulling off her t-shirt and shorts to reveal her black bikini underneath.

Cheryl watched her undress with a smirk, amused at her eagerness. "Something tells me you're going swimming with or without me."

"Well... yeah, probably. But I prefer to go with you," Toni said hopefully.

Cheryl rolled her eyes but couldn't stop herself from smiling. How could she ever say no to her? "Fine," she said as she began undressing too. Toni tried not to stare at her in her red bikini, but it was nearly impossible.

"see something you like, TT?"

Toni forced her gaze away from Cheryl's body, looking down at the sand instead. "Maybe," she said with a smirk as she grabbed the taller girl's hand, eager to get into the water before the flirting and teasing went any further.

Cheryl giggled as she intertwined their fingers. "I like it when you look at me like that."

Oh.

Toni wasn't expecting that.

"Like what?" Toni asked, her heart pounding in anticipation of Cheryl's response.

"Like you want me," Cheryl said simply.

Fuck. This was going beyond innocent, playful flirting. Not only could Cheryl see that Toni wanted her, but she _liked_ it. The thought was almost too much for Toni to process, making her entire body heat up. She stepped closer to the taller girl as she placed her free hand on her bare waist, looking her up and down again. "You are so hot right now," Toni said before meeting Cheryl's eyes again.

"Aren't I always?" Cheryl responded with another smirk.

The more flirty they were with each other, the more Toni struggled to keep her hands off the redhead. Cheryl was fucking hot, and wearing very little clothing. It drove Toni crazy in the best way.

Toni loved it, of course, but she didn't want to risk moving too fast. After all, they just had their first kiss yesterday. In terms of physical contact, she wasn't sure how far Cheryl would be comfortable going. She didn't want to rush things and risk ruining the relationship that was developing between them by overstepping an unspoken boundary.

"Of course you are, bombshell," Toni said before planting a quick kiss to the side of Cheryl's mouth. "Now, come on, stop stalling."

She pulled Cheryl along by the hand to the end of the dock where the boat was tied up. "Jump together on 3?" Toni asked excitedly.

"Okay," Cheryl nodded hesitantly as she gripped Toni's hand a little tighter.

"Okay 1.. 2.."

"Wait," Cheryl said tugging on the shorter girl's arm.

She hadn't gone swimming since the incident at Sweetwater River that almost took her life. She would have drowned if her friends hadn't shown up to save her. At that time, she was ready for her life to end, ready to join her brother in the afterlife, if it even existed. That was such a dark time in her life, the complete opposite of the present moment.

"What's wrong, babe?" Toni asked with concern.

Truthfully, nothing was wrong at the present moment. Yeah, she was briefly reminded of a horrible time in her past, but she didn't need to tell Toni about that now. Right now, she was happy. She was having fun, and she had Toni by her side. She could do this.

"Nothing, I'm ready now," she responded, taking a deep breath.

Toni still sensed hesitation in her voice. There was only one way to overcome whatever it was that was keeping her from jumping in. "Okay.. 1.. 2"

"Toni!"

Cheryl screamed as she felt Toni grab her and push her forward. Toni's arms were wrapped around her waist as they both plunged into the water. For a half second, Cheryl was angry. She could have at least counted to three. And pushing someone into the water is just mean.

But then she felt Toni's arms around her, pulling her to the surface. She felt safe. She was safe. Toni would never hurt her, she trusted her.

They were only underwater for a brief moment before resurfacing together. Toni's arms never left Cheryl's body, holding her close, making sure she was okay. As they resurfaced above the waves Toni was laughing loudly.

"Oh my god, you should have seen your face!" She said between fits of laughter.

Cheryl couldn't help but laugh too, as she wrapped her arms around Toni's neck. "You're lucky you're so cute, TT. Most people wouldn't get away with pushing me into the ocean."

"Cheryl Blossom thinks I'm cute? I guess I am pretty lucky," Toni said leaning her forehead against Cheryl's, keeping her arms securely around her waist as her legs moved in an effort to keep their heads above the water.

Cheryl leaned forward and pressed her lips to Toni's, gently at first, until she felt Toni pull her body even closer to her own. The front of their bodies pressed tightly together as Cheryl deepened the kiss, allowing her tongue to slip past Toni's lips.

Toni moaned softly as her tongue met Cheryl's before abruptly pulling away. "Babe, you're making it hard to stay afloat."

"But I like kissing you," Cheryl pouted.

Toni pressed another soft kiss to her lips before letting go of her waist and swimming closer to the shore where the water was just shallow enough for her to stand in. "So come and kiss me then," she said teasingly.

The redhead followed and immediately reconnected their lips. Kissing Toni felt like a drug to her. She simply couldn't get enough. Everything about Toni was intoxicating, especially the way her soft lips felt against her own. It didn't take long for her hands to find Toni's scalp, running her fingers through wet hair and absentmindedly pulling the shorter girl against her, kissing her harder than before. She was completely lost in the kiss as it got even more intense.

Just as Cheryl was about to come up for air, Toni tore her lips away only to reattach them to her neck. She couldn't help the gasp that escaped from her lips as Toni's lips moved against her skin, kissing all the way from her jawline to the base of her neck. She bit back a moan as she felt Toni tug on her hair, pulling her head gently to the side in order to give her more access to her neck.

She couldn't resist the soft moan that escaped her lips as she felt Toni's hand grip her thigh under the water. Toni took it as a sign that perhaps they were getting a little carried away, perhaps Cheryl was getting just as ridiculously turned on as she was.

Their make out session ended with Toni softly kissing Cheryl's lips again, their foreheads resting against each other, holding each other close as the waves crashed around them.

"How are you so perfect?" Cheryl asked breathlessly.

"I could ask you the same thing, bombshell."

The chemistry between the two girls was undeniable. They just clicked in so many ways, mentally, emotionally and physically. It's no surprise that the sexual tension between them was building so quickly. They wanted each other, and it was becoming more and more difficult to hide it or resist the temptation.

* * *

It didn't take long for the sun to begin slipping below the horizon, signaling the end to yet another blissful day. They had spent the later part of the afternoon lounging on the beach, the sun quickly drying their bodies after their swim earlier in the day.

Currently, Cheryl sat on the large towel they had been laying on. Toni had disappeared into the boat after telling the redhead to "wait here."

Moments later she returned carrying a bundle of firewood that looked much too heavy for her to carry, a bottle of whiskey, and some matches.

"The amount of supplies you have stored away in that boat is astounding, TT."

"I like to be prepared for anything. Especially, drinking around a campfire on the beach," she said with a smile as she handed the bottle of whiskey to Cheryl.

She watched as Toni carefully arranged the logs, stacking them as if she had done so millions of times.

Cheryl had never fallen for someone in the way that she was falling for Toni. It was exciting and scary at the same time. Everything was happening so quickly, but it felt so natural. She couldn't stop thinking about how Toni had kissed her earlier and how she really didn't want her to stop.

Her attention was taken away from her thoughts as a small flame burned its way through the top of the structure Toni had built with the logs. A bonfire on the beach was the perfect way to end the day, Cheryl decided.

They sat together sipping on the whiskey, talking about everything and nothing as the island got darker around the glow of the fire.

"I don't want to go back to Riverdale," Cheryl said suddenly before passing the bottle back to Toni, scrunching her face as the alcohol burned her throat.

"Neither do I, babe," Toni said, her voice raspy, already feeling the effects of the alcohol.

"This has been amazing, Toni," she said quietly. Maybe the alcohol was making her a little more emotional than usual, but she couldn't help feeling sad that their trip would soon come to an end.

Toni decided coherent thoughts and sentences were becoming a little too difficult to form, so instead of responding with words, she leaned over and kissed the taller girl, a little sloppily, but with as much passion as ever.

Toni tasted like whiskey, but she didn’t mind at all. Her hands were already on Cheryl's skin, slowly lifting up her shirt. Cheryl didn't want her to stop, she only wanted more. She was ready to completely give into everything she had been feeling since she met Toni. She wanted all of her, right now. As Toni continued kissing her senseless she wondered if she was drunk from the alcohol or from Toni herself.

Cheryl brought her hands to cradle Toni's face as she kissed her before Toni pulled away, just as she had earlier. Cheryl was immediately disappointed.

"Why did you stop?"

"We're drunk," Toni said simply.

She couldn't help but chuckle as Cheryl's disappointment became clear on her face.

"Babe, I want you but I can't let you do something you might regret.. I wouldn't take advantage of you like that," Toni said sincerely as she wrapped her arms securely around Cheryl's waist.

Cheryl continued to pout, but leaned into the shorter girl, resting her head on her shoulder and hugging her back. As much as she wanted Toni in that way, she knew Toni was right. Now wasn't the time.

"I'm sorry," she said burying her face in Toni's neck.

"Hey, don't be," Toni said kissing the top of Cheryl's head. "You know I want you just as badly."

This made Cheryl smile. How could someone so perfect want her? She wasn't sure if sober Cheryl could explain it, but she knew for a fact that drunk Cheryl couldn't, so she disregarded the thought for now, laughing as Toni playfully poked her side. 

God, she really didn't want to go back to Riverdale.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No spoilers but... things are about to take a turn in this story. Hope you liked this chapter.


	9. Chapter 9

Holding Cheryl had become one of Toni's favorite hobbies. The clock on the wall next to the bed they were currently sharing read 2:25 am. They had sat next to their bonfire until both of them were fighting sleep before finally deciding to come back inside and go to bed. 

It had gotten pretty cold outside, which resulted in the inside of the boat being fairly cold too, but underneath their sea of blankets in the dimly lit space, Toni felt pretty cozy. Having Cheryl wrapped up in her arms made it even better. She looked down at the girl who's head was currently on her chest, arm draped over her stomach. She wasn't sure if she would ever get over how beautiful Cheryl was.

Tomorrow they would start the journey back to Riverdale, and although she was sad that their adventure was ending, she took comfort in knowing that this was only the start of something good. Their feelings for each other had developed so quickly in such a short amount of time, Toni was certain their feelings would only continue to strengthen when they got back. She couldn't help but think about the future and how their relationship would continue to grow. It seemed impossible at this point to not have Cheryl in her life.

Despite everything she had been through and all the pain associated with losing her grandfather, Toni wondered if this was somehow meant to be. After all, if he hadn't died, she probably wouldn't have met Cheryl. She certainly wouldn't be here, on a boat, falling head over heels for her. She couldn't fathom how something so horrible could lead to something so seemingly perfect, but she was grateful for it. She kissed the top of Cheryl's head and closed her eyes.

* * *

 

 

Cheryl woke up to the sound of rain beating down on the top of the boat, and Toni's steady breathing next to her. She snuggled closer to the shorter girl, craving the physical closeness that she had been so deprived of before. Enveloped in warmth and comfort, Cheryl was in a state of pure bliss.

Until Toni woke up.

"Is that rain?!" She asked with slight panic in her voice as she sat up off the bed, throwing the blankets to the side.

"Good morning to you too," Cheryl said sarcastically, still refusing to open her eyes.

Toni made a move to get off the bed, but Cheryl quickly gripped her wrist with a groan of disappointment. "Where are you going?"

Toni jumped off the bed and pulled a rain jacket from one of the storage compartments underneath. "I'll be right back, promise."

Not ready to give up the cozy bed, Cheryl let her go without much more protest. "Hurry back," she mumbled.

Toni quickly shoved her arms in the sleeves of her jacket as she rushed outside. It was pouring, and as the tiny drops of water hit her, she felt herself start to panic. So many things could go wrong while sailing in good weather. So many more things could go wrong while sailing in bad weather.

She brought her hand up to shield her eyes from the rain as she gazed across the gray sky. There was a flash of lightning in the distance, but it looked pretty far away. Toni had checked the weather forecast before leaving Riverdale, and there had been no sign of rain or storms. While she had prepared for everything within her control, there was no way to prevent bad weather. They would just have to wait for the rain to pass before they left the island. She took a few deep breaths. It was just rain. The wind wasn't even that bad. It could be much worse. After taking a moment to compose herself, she went back inside. The door shut behind her as she took off her rain jacket.

Cheryl opened her eyes to look at Toni as she laid next to her again on the bed. "Everything okay, TT?"

"Yeah, everything is fine, it's just rain," Toni said as she tucked a strand of Cheryl's hair behind her ear and smiled at her. "We can leave after it stops."

Cheryl gently kissed Toni's cheek and scooted closer to her. "Does that mean we can cuddle until then?"

"Sure thing, babe," Toni said, pulling her close.

They spent the rest of the morning like that, wrapped in each other's embrace, enjoying their cozy little space as the rain poured outside.

* * *

 

 

After a few hours, the rain finally stopped. After both girls had gotten out of bed, showered and prepared for the day, Toni grabbed her camera, hanging the strap around her neck. "One more walk before we go?"

Cheryl smiled and took Toni's hand. "Lead the way, TT."

The sky was still dotted with clouds for the most part. The rain had resulted in a drop in temperature. Although it wasn't cold, it was certainly not nearly as hot as it had been when they arrived on the island.

Like their first walk, they stopped occasionally so that Toni could take photos. This time she took several photos of herself and Cheryl together, a few of them smiling at the camera, one of them kissing, and Toni's favorite: Cheryl laughing at something Toni had said as Toni kissed her cheek. Bringing the camera had been a great idea.

After some more photography and more walking, they eventually reached the tree with Toni's name carved into it. "Hold this, I have an idea," Toni said as she put the camera strap around Cheryl's neck.

Toni made her way over to the tree, pulling her switchblade from the pocket of her shorts and began carving something into the tree.

"What are you doing?" Cheryl asked with a laugh. Toni was always full of surprises, and she loved it.

"Shhh, never interrupt an artist at work," Toni responded, keeping her attention focused on the tree. Cheryl laughed again, but left her alone, taking some pictures of her own.

After a few minutes, Toni stepped away from the tree. "Done. What do you think?"

Cheryl walked over to where Toni stood next to the tree that now said "Toni + Cheryl."

Not only was Toni full of surprises, but she was thoughtful too. She was kind, considerate and caring. In that moment, Cheryl was so in awe of her, she almost wanted to cry. Simple gestures like this meant everything to her, and while her brain tried to articulate this rush of feelings into words, all that came out of her mouth was "Toni.."

And before she could form another coherent thought, her lips crashed into Toni's as her hands cradled her face. Toni kissed her back, pushing her gently up against the tree. After a few intense, hard kisses, their kisses became softer and more gentle. Each of them tried to convey their feelings for the other in every kiss.

"Promise me this won't end when we get back to Riverdale," Toni said after finally breaking their lips apart.

"Of course not, TT," Cheryl said definitively before placing another kiss to her lips. She couldn't think about this ending anytime soon. Whether they were on the ocean or back at home, she wanted Toni, and judging by the carving on the tree and the way she had kissed her, Toni wanted her too.

Toni smiled at her before taking two photos of new newly carved tree, one for her and one for Cheryl. While their trip was coming to an end, at least they would have the photos to look back on.

* * *

 

 

Considering the weather and the fact that they were still enjoying their time on the island, Cheryl and Toni agreed to wait until the following morning to leave. Not to mention they were both still pretty exhausted. Waiting until the next morning gave them more time to rest in preparation for the trip home. As usual, they spent the evening talking, flirting, and kissing, and the night was spent in each other's arms, savoring every second they spent together.

The next morning, Toni was quiet as she worked to get the sails in just the right position as the boat drifted away from the island. She was a little sad, but she was also pretty damn proud of herself for making it back there. This had been her goal after her grandfather died and she had achieved it. As the island got smaller and smaller in the distance, she felt a sense of closure wash over her. He was gone, and now she felt like she could finally let him go. She would still grieve for him of course, but going to that island healed something inside of her that she didn't even know needed healing. She needed this trip for so many reasons.

"We can always come back, TT," Cheryl said suddenly as Toni was lost in thought.

"You'd do this again?" Toni asked, smiling at the thought of sailing with Cheryl again in the future.

Cheryl hugged Toni from behind, and kissed her cheek. "Of course, I'll go anywhere with you," she said softly.

Toni turned around in her arms and kissed her lips softly as a few drops of rain fell from the still cloudy sky around them. They would be home within the next couple of days, the place they both hated so much. But now that they had each other, even Riverdale didn't seem like such a bad place anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this was kind of another filler chapter. The next one will be better in terms of plot. All of your comments have been immensely encouraging to me while writing this story, so again, thank you for all the compliments and words of encouragement. :)
> 
> Also, be patient, I promise the smut is coming.


	10. Chapter 10

This doesn't look good," Toni said, crossing her arms and biting her lip nervously.

Cheryl stood next to her gazing out at the waves that had increased in size over the past couple of hours. The sky was full of dark clouds and the wind had gotten stronger. It wasn't raining but it looked like it could start at any second. The air was cold, almost unbearable with the force of the wind on their skin.

Both girls had assumed yesterday morning's rain was nothing more than a simple rain shower. It had disappeared almost as quickly as it approached. Looking at the dark sky now, they realize that perhaps it was only the beginning of what would become a full blown storm.

Toni stared into the abyss for a moment longer, assessing the situation and the possibilities of what might or might not happen, before looking over at Cheryl.

Even with the wind messing up her hair and a worried expression on her face, she was so beautiful. She was everything that Toni never realized she needed. All she wanted was to take care of her and keep her safe and happy. She didn't like seeing her worried. Maybe there would be a terrible storm, or maybe the sun would be out in a matter of minutes. There was no way of knowing what would happen next. The ocean was unpredictable and unforgiving at times. They needed to be prepared for anything.

"So what do we do?" Cheryl asked timidly, sensing Toni's apprehension.

"Hope for the best and prepare for the worst," Toni said as she stole another glance at the sky before turning her attention back to Cheryl. Before anything, she had to make sure Cheryl was okay.

"Come on." She took Cheryl's hand and led her back inside where she began rummaging through another storage compartment underneath the bed. After a moment she tossed a pair of sweatpants to Cheryl, followed by a hoodie and a rain jacket.

"Bundle up, it's gonna get a lot colder when the rain comes," Toni said as Cheryl began layering the clothing over the t-shirt and shorts she was currently wearing. Toni wore a similar outfit, minus the sweatpants, opting for shorts instead.

Cheryl was silent as Toni moved quickly throughout the cabin. She opened a small cabinet next to the bathroom and pulled out a tiny white bottle of pills. She opened the bottle and popped one into her mouth before taking a sip of water. She passed the pills and the bottle of water to Cheryl, who was still quietly observing Toni's every move as she became more and more anxious.

"They're to keep you from getting seasick," Toni said. "In case the waves get rough."

The waves were already bigger than what they were used to. The boat was rocking more than it had at any other time on their trip, which already had both girls feeling a little nervous about the situation they were in. Cheryl only looked at Toni before mimicking her actions and taking one of the pills.

Toni sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "You can hang out in here if you want but I need to be outside to keep an eye on things. Be ready to come outside if-"

Cheryl interrupted her. "No, I'm staying by your side no matter what, TT," she said quietly. Whatever happened outside, she didn't want Toni to face it alone. And she didn't want to be alone either, especially if things got bad.

Toni gave her a small smile and took her hand. "Okay.. are you scared?"

This was the second time Toni had asked her this question since they met. The first was when they were on the boat about to leave Riverdale. She wasn't scared then. She was excited. She had no idea what was in store for her over the next week. She had no idea that she would have one of the greatest adventures of her life and start developing feelings for someone who was once just a stranger with a sailboat.

But now, she was scared.

The boat seemed so tiny now that the waves were coming up so high on its sides. It felt like the ocean could swallow it whole at any second, so yes, she was scared and there was no point in lying about it. She knew her fear was written all over her face and Toni could see it too. Because of this, she didn't answer the question out loud. Instead she asked Toni the same question.

"Are you scared?"

She searched Toni's eyes for any signs of fear as her fingers gripped her hand a little harder. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answer. If Toni, the experienced sailor, was scared, that would only make Cheryl feel more scared. If Toni was scared, she wasn't showing it in this moment. She looked back at Cheryl with nothing but adoration for the taller girl. She leaned up and kissed her sweetly, briefly.

"No, we're going to be fine," Toni said confidently.

Cheryl wanted to believe her, but she couldn't be sure if Toni really believed that they would be okay or if she was only saying that to calm her down. Regardless, Toni's words accompanied by her touch and just her presence in general helped relieve some of her anxiety.

* * *

 

Outside, Toni lowered the main sails and raised the storm sails, which are a smaller set of sails designed to allow the boat to be steered through the waves more easily. She went to the wheel and began steering the boat sharply to the left, angling it so that it was sailing into the waves rather than parallel to them. The waves would now hit the front of the boat rather than the sides, making it less likely to capsize.

Cheryl stood partially behind her with a vice-like grip on the shorter girl's jacket sleeve, using Toni to hide from the ocean like a child would use their parent to hide from a stranger. Toni could sense how scared Cheryl was as she turned to face her, gripping her hips to keep them both steady as the boat continued to rise and fall with the waves.

"I know you're scared, but you have to trust me. Everything is under control, I promise."

Despite her own concerns, Toni did feel in control of the situation. She knew what she was doing thanks to her grandfather. He had told her countless times what to do in a storm and what not to do, and she was quite proud of herself for how she had handled the situation thus far. She had been fully prepared and acted accordingly. Now it was time to play the waiting game: wait to see if the storm let up or got worse.

Cheryl nodded and loosened her grip on Toni's jacket. "I trust you," she said, just as she had said on their first day on the boat. She did trust Toni, even more so now. She felt like they had known each other forever and built a lifetime of trust despite only knowing each other for about a week.

Toni smiled at the redhead. "You should sit down so you don't fall."

Toni was right, the boat was moving so much, it wasn't easy to stand up. But sitting down meant letting go of Toni's arm, which she really didn't want to do right now. She had never been a clingy person, but Toni was the only thing giving her any sort of comfort right now and Toni had to stay at the wheel. Despite wanting to hold on to Toni for dear life, she didn't want to be in the way, and she didn't want to fall and bring the shorter girl down with her, so she reluctantly let go of her arm and sat down on the seat next to where Toni stood at the wheel. She hugged her knees to her chest and tried to stay calm.

The clouds were almost black now, and it didn't seem likely that the storm would pass over quickly. Toni had never been scared of storms, but the sound of thunder combined with the roar of the waves sounded much more ominous than a typical storm.

"Babe, I think this might get worse before it gets better," she shouted over the noise.

Before the words had left her mouth, it was pouring rain. Both girls pulled their hoods over their heads, and Toni's grip on the steering wheel tightened. She moved the wheel back and forth for what felt like forever, steering through the waves as the boat rose and fell violently over and over. Each time the boat crashed down onto the water, the force made it feel as if it might shatter into a million pieces that would scatter into oblivion leaving Cheryl and Toni to fend for themselves with nothing but a seemingly infinite amount of water around them.

Toni looked over at Cheryl who was still curled into a ball on the seat next to the wheel, her face buried in her arms which rested on top of her knees. Toni wanted so badly to put her arms around her and tell her it would be okay, tell her that the storm would be over soon and there was nothing to worry about, but she knew she couldn't risk leaving the wheel. It was the only sliver of control she had at this point. If she wasn't steering the boat in the right direction, the waves could push it to an angle that would make it capsize. So she continued steering as minutes turned into hours.

As the rain poured and the waves got impossibly bigger, Toni's sense of confidence and control began to fade. Maybe they wouldn't be okay after all. Maybe they would die out here. The storm was still in full force. Her arms were aching from fighting against the resistance of the steering wheel. She was cold and wet. Her feet hurt from standing for so long. She knew Cheryl must be feeling pretty miserable too. And it would all be for nothing if they died out here. The storm had to ease up soon if they were going to live. Toni couldn't do this forever.

She looked over at Cheryl who was looking back at her with this helpless, scared look on her face. To see Cheryl like this was heartbreaking. She had to do something, anything, to make this situation better. Toni quickly grabbed a life jacket from the storage box to her right and handed it to Cheryl.

"Put this on! Like I showed you, remember?" Toni shouted. If the boat were to be destroyed, at least with a life jacket she would have a better chance of surviving.

Cheryl took the life jacket but said nothing and made no movement to put it on, only stared blankly back at Toni, frozen in fear at the realization that they might actually die out here. She couldn't make her fingers move to put the life jacket over her shoulders. All she could do was stare at Toni in shock and disbelief that this was really happening right now.

Toni reached a hand to Cheryl while keeping one hand on the wheel. Cheryl grabbed her hand and Toni pulled her to her feet so she stood next to her. Toni let go of the wheel and quickly helped her into the life jacket, buckling and tightening the straps as fast as she could before grabbing the wheel again.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Cheryl shouted over the waves, snapping out of her daze as she held onto Toni again.

And there wasn't. There wasn't anything either of them could do. There was a chance that this beautiful, perfect girl would die here and it was all Toni's fault. It was all her fucking fault for bringing her on the boat to begin with. If her grandfather were here, he'd know what to do. But he wasn't here and Toni had exhausted all her ideas. She felt completely and utterly helpless. Every ounce of control was gone. This whole trip was a bad idea. She should have known that going on a long trip wasn't safe. She should have known better than to put not only her own life, but another person's life at risk too. She really fucked up this time and there was nothing anyone could do about it. 

She shook her head in response to Cheryl's question. "I'm sorry, Cheryl. I shouldn't have brought you out here."

Cheryl let go of Toni and sat back down in her seat while Toni turned her full attention back to steering the boat, silently praying to whatever god was listening that this would all be over soon.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y’all don’t mind a little angst

Cheryl’s eyes were stinging with tears as she sat with her knees pulled to her chest watching Toni struggle with the wheel of the boat. Everything about this situation was horrible, but Toni saying she shouldn't have brought her out here was what finally brought Cheryl to tears.

Despite the situation they were in now, Cheryl never regretted any of it. She was so grateful to have met Toni and spent the last few days with her. Toni made her happy, and knowing that Toni didn't feel the same way felt like a punch to the gut. Was she surprised by it? No, everyone she ever cared about had left her or hurt her in some way. But it still hurt a lot.

The storm had been raging on for nearly 3 hours now, but it felt more like 3 days. It didn't seem like it would ever end, but to their surprise, the downpour eventually became only a drizzle. They weren't completely safe yet, but it was a good sign. At least now maybe they wouldn't be as cold.

Another half hour went by and the wind had become less harsh, making the waves begin to decrease in size. It was still dangerous, but Toni began to feel like the situation was a little more stable, like she was regaining some control. Letting go of the wheel briefly wouldn't be catastrophic like it would have been an hour or two ago.

She stepped over to Cheryl and cradled her face in her hands as she kissed her forehead.

"You okay?" Toni asked wiping the tears from her face. Little did she know it was her words that had brought Cheryl to tears, not the storm.

Cheryl only nodded in response and stood up, wrapping her arms around Toni's neck and burying her face into her shoulder. Maybe Toni had regrets, but that didn't stop Cheryl from seeking comfort in her arms. She wasn't okay, but she didn't feel like talking about it now, not after everything they had just gone through. Toni hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek.

"Why don't you go shower and put on some warm clothes? I'm gonna stay out here and keep an eye on everything." Toni said as she began undoing the buckles on the life jacket Cheryl was wearing.

She slipped her arms out of the life jacket and nodded again. "Okay."

She couldn't think straight. She was too tired, cold, and upset. Toni's words kept repeating over and over again in her head.

_I shouldn't have brought you out here._

Would she still say that now that they were safe? Did it even matter? She said it, so obviously she meant it to some extent. Cheryl couldn't stop her thoughts from spiraling. When those words left Toni's lips, it was as if all this time they spent falling for each other didn't even matter. All their happy moments, every kiss, every conversation, it was all pointless if Toni regretted bringing her on the boat in the first place.

She shivered as she peeled off the layers of cold, wet clothing under her jacket as tears continued to stream down her face. For once in her life she thought she had found something good, something to hold onto, but if Toni didn't want her, there wasn't much she could do about it.

She felt horrible, but as she stepped into the warm shower, she felt herself start to relax a little. As the water streamed down her body, warming every inch of her skin, she noticed just how exhausted she was, physically and emotionally.

After her shower, she slipped into a pair of simple red panties and grabbed the first t-shirt she saw, which happened to be Toni's, not bothering with a bra or shorts. Right now all she cared about was being comfortable, and how much she wanted Toni to come inside and hold her.

She laid down on the bed and buried herself under the blankets. In a matter of minutes, she was asleep, completely drained from the stressful day.

* * *

 

It was dark out when Toni finally came inside. The ocean was finally calm enough for her to let her guard down and relax for a little while. She found Cheryl fast asleep in bed and it made her melt a little, seeing her girl safe and cozy after such a horrible day. Of course Cheryl wasn't really "hers" yet, but she couldn't help but think of her that way after everything they had gone through.

She quickly showered, hoping to not wake the redhead. When she got out of the shower, she got dressed in black underwear and shorts with a black sports bra. She reached for her t-shirt, smiling when she realized Cheryl must have taken it for herself.

To say Toni was exhausted would be an understatement. She could barely keep her eyes open. Cheryl must have been pretty exhausted too, considering she fell asleep without saying much of anything. In fact, they hadn't really talked at all since the storm began. Toni didn't give it much thought. It had been a rough day. They could talk about it tomorrow.

She laid down on the couch rather than sleeping in the bed with Cheryl. After such a long day, she didn't want to risk waking her up. Besides, Toni needed to wake up every couple of hours to check on the weather. As badly as she wanted to sleep until morning, it wasn't safe. She set an alarm and fell asleep almost instantly.

* * *

 

When Toni awoke, it wasn't to the sound of the alarm. Instead, she heard the sound of Cheryl crying. She immediately got up off the couch and rushed over to the bed.

"Cheryl?"

She was still asleep, clearly having another nightmare. Toni shook her gently until her eyes finally fluttered open, tears streaming down her face.

"Hey, it was just a nightmare, you're okay," Toni said rubbing her back. Cheryl sat up and flung her arms around Toni's neck, crying into her bare shoulder. Toni continued to comfort her, holding her close and rubbing her back until she finally calmed down enough to talk.

"Shhh I'm here," Toni whispered, running her fingers through long red hair. "What's got you so upset? Talk to me, babe."

Cheryl trembled in her arms, shaking from pent up sobs that she was trying to hold back.

"I don't want to lose you," she said simply between sobs.

"What? I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere, I promise," Toni said, desperately trying to calm her down. This nightmare must have been much worse than the one she had a few nights ago.

"But you said.." Cheryl began, but she couldn't get the words out. The thought of Toni regretting all of this, the thought of letting her go, it was unbearable, unthinkable. She couldn't even verbalize it.

Toni pulled away slightly, bringing her hands to Cheryl's face, holding her head so that she could look her in the eyes.

"Look at me, Cheryl."

It took some effort on Cheryl's part, but their eyes met as Toni continued wiping her tears away.

"You're not going to lose me, okay? Everything is fine, we're fine," Toni said, trying her best to be reassuring. She kissed Cheryl's forehead and scooted to sit with her back against the wall, pulling Cheryl with her. She wrapped her arms around her tightly as Cheryl did the same, leaning her head on her shoulder and holding Toni as if she might disappear at any second.

They stayed like that for several minutes until Cheryl's tears finally stopped and her grip on Toni loosened a little. Toni said nothing, deciding to allow Cheryl the space to talk if she wanted, but not forcing her into a conversation.

Cheryl took a deep breath. She felt much better now that she was in Toni's arms and could feel Toni's skin on her fingertips. She was still scared of losing her, but she felt much more calm than she did before.

"Earlier.. you said you shouldn't have brought me out here," Cheryl said quietly.

She felt Toni's body shift, her muscles became tense and rigid.

"Is that why you're upset?" Toni asked.

Cheryl nodded.

Now Toni wanted to cry. Clearly she wasn't thinking when she said that. Instead of staying brave and composed she let her fear and guilt get the best of her. How could she have said something so stupid? All she wanted was to keep Cheryl safe and happy but all she had done was made her cry. She felt lucky that Cheryl still even wanted her after that. Cheryl had every right to be mad, but here she was seeking comfort in the arms of the person who made her cry. Toni felt like an asshole. She knew she had to fix this as soon as possible.

"I shouldn't have said that. I was only thinking about keeping you safe.. to be honest, I was scared. I tried to stay composed but... we could have died today, Cheryl. And at that moment I was only thinking about how guilty I felt for putting you in danger," Toni said. She spoke slowly and quietly, thinking carefully about each word she said, doing her best to convey how she felt and how sorry she was. She didn't want to make things worse by saying the wrong thing.

Cheryl contemplated her words for a moment before looking up at her. "There's no place I'd rather be than right here, with you. I don't care how safe or unsafe it is... I just want to be with you."

Toni was speechless for a long time. Cheryl continued to surprise her with such confessions, making it so easy for Toni to continue to fall harder for her every day. There was no doubt in her mind now, she could never leave this girl no matter what. She would never let her go.

"I want to be with you too Cheryl, always, but I wanted to protect you. I care about you a lot.." Toni kissed the top of Cheryl's head as she continued to run her fingers through her hair. "I don't wanna lose you either."

Suddenly, Cheryl was crying again, trying to wipe away her tears to keep them from spilling onto Toni's shoulder again. "I'm sorry, TT. I should have known you didn't mean it like that... I just panicked. I thought maybe you had regrets about us."

Toni moved her hand underneath Cheryl's shirt to rub her back again. "Of course not, babe. I'm sorry I made you think that.. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Cheryl took another deep breath and tried to stop her tears. "You don't have to apologize, TT. I overreacted, it's my fault."

"It's not your fault. Today was stressful and exhausting for both of us... everything was tense. I'm just glad it's over now and we're safe," Toni said.

"Me too," Cheryl said looking at the clock. "It's really late.. do you want to sleep? I know you're exhausted."

Toni sighed. "I am exhausted, but I should stay awake and watch the weather."

Cheryl leaned up to kiss her lips softly. "I can watch it so you can sleep if you want. I'll wake you if it gets bad."

Toni considered this idea for a moment. Cheryl had already slept several hours so she couldn't possibly be as tired as Toni was. The temptation to sleep was strong, but sleeping would mean she'd have less time to spend with Cheryl, and it was their last night together on the boat since they weren't far from Riverdale now.

"I could sleep, but I'd rather spend time with you if you aren't tired," Toni said honestly.

Cheryl smiled for the first time since before the storm. She kissed Toni again, eager to take advantage of their last night on the boat. As she felt Toni's lips turn upwards into a smile against her own, she couldn't think of a better way to end such a shitty day. After the day's events, this is all she wanted- to be in Toni's arms, happy and safe.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is nothing but smut, so if that’s not your thing, you should skip this chapter.
> 
> It took me forever to write this because I kept writing and rewriting to the point that I just gave up and decided to post it. Writing smut is tricky and I wanted it to be good. I hope it’s at least decent. 
> 
> Anyway, leave me some feedback if you want :)

It was 2 am when Toni finally decided that maybe they should go out and check the weather and make sure there were no signs of another storm approaching.

She stood up only to find that Cheryl was refusing to untangle their fingers. It seems their talk earlier had left her feeling more affectionate and clingy than usual. She hadn't left Toni's side and now didn't want to let go of her hand. Toni loved this soft side of her, mostly because she was fairly certain that she didn't show it to most people. For whatever reason, Toni was able to get her to show her softer, more affectionate self and she loved it.

"You coming?" Toni asked as she tried to pull Cheryl up.

Cheryl sighed dramatically, but sat up giving Toni a pouty look. "I don't have any pants on and it's cold outside."

Toni laughed at her minor dilemma and pulled her hand up to her mouth, kissing her knuckles gently. "Come on, it will only take a couple minutes.. I'll warm you up afterwards."

Cheryl liked the sound of that. Just the thought of Toni's hands on her made her whole body heat up. She stood up with a smirk and allowed Toni to lead her outside, still not letting go of her hand.

It was dark outside, but the moon was only partially covered by clouds, allowing a little light to shine through. It was still cold too, causing both of them to shiver as the air hit their skin. Perhaps they should have worn a little more clothing.

Cheryl folded her arms across her chest, trying to stop shivering as she watched Toni maneuver the sails around. The sports bra she was wearing gave Cheryl a good view of her toned muscles.

God, she was perfect in Cheryl's eyes- inside and out. Cheryl bit her lip as she watched, forgetting about the cold as her body started to heat up at the thought of what she wanted to do to Toni, what she wanted Toni to do to her.

She was a bit caught off guard when Toni turned around and met her eyes. In that split second she realized she had been staring at the shorter girl. Her first instinct was to look away, but she didn't. She locked eyes with her, bottom lip still caught between her teeth.

Toni jumped down from her spot next to the sails before locking eyes again with the redhead. How could someone look so sweet and innocent but so fucking hot at the same time? The look of pure want in her eyes made Toni shiver. She reached up and ran her thumb across the taller girl's bottom lip, causing her to release it from between her teeth, before connecting their lips together. Their lips moved slowly against each other as Toni moved her hands to Cheryl's waist.

"You know, you look really good in my clothes," Toni said, slipping her hand slightly under the fabric of the t-shirt to touch her skin. "But," she continued, leaning closer to whisper into her ear, "I would love to take this off of you."

"Yeah?" Cheryl breathed, already getting embarrassingly worked up just from the sound of Toni's low, raspy voice in her ear. Toni's lips were on her neck now, right below her ear.

"Mm-hmm," Toni hummed, not willing to stop kissing her neck just yet. Cheryl took a moment to try and compose herself before speaking again, but it was useless with the feeling of Toni's soft lips and tongue on her neck. She leaned her head back and gasped softly when Toni moved to the base of her neck, sucking rather than kissing. She knew it was going to leave a mark, but she didn't mind. In fact, a small part of her wanted Toni to leave a mark on her pale skin, a physical sign that she was hers.

"I want you to take it off of me," Cheryl said, desperately trying to keep her voice calm despite how turned on she already was. "But you should know, I'm not wearing anything underneath it."

This information motivated Toni to finally detach her lips from Cheryl's neck. She smirked before kissing Cheryl's lips again and grabbing both her hands.

"Let's go back inside first," Toni said as she began leading Cheryl towards the door.

Once inside the closed door, Toni immediately pushed Cheryl up against it, kissing her hungrily and tugging at the bottom of the t-shirt. Toni was always so gentle and sweet, but Cheryl was getting even more turned on as Toni was getting a little more rough than usual.

Cheryl raised her arms in order to help Toni pull she shirt over her head. Toni immediately tossed it behind her, not giving a second thought to where it landed, and took a step back to look at Cheryl who was standing in front of her wearing nothing but red panties.

"Fuck, you're beautiful," Toni said, reattaching her hands to her waist and looking her up and down in awe.

Cheryl blushed deeply and smiled. "So are you, but you're wearing too many clothes."

Without hesitation, Toni quickly pulled her sports bra up and over her head, tossing it aside just as she did with the t-shirt. "Better?"

"Much better," Cheryl smirked as she pulled the shorter girl against her, kissing her again. No one had ever seen her like this, but she didn't feel shy like she thought she might. The feeling of Toni's chest pressed against her own was drowning out any feelings of nervousness she had. All she could think about was how badly she wanted more, and how she hoped Toni wanted it as much as she did.

Her hands tangled into Toni's hair as they continued to make out, their bodies pressed tightly against each other as Toni slowly moved a hand down to Cheryl's thigh. She gripped it tightly and lifted it up, causing her own body to shift even closer, putting more pressure on Cheryl's center.

Cheryl immediately gasped into their kiss, trying to hold back a moan. If they continued at this pace, she knew she was going to cum embarrassingly fast.

Desperate to gain some control, she pushed herself off the door and began pushing Toni back towards the bed, still kissing her passionately. When they reached the bed, it was Toni who pulled away.

"We don't have to do this if you don't want to," she said in a rush, trying to catch her breath.

"I want to.. do you want to?" Cheryl asked.

Toni nodded eagerly, "yes, badly."

Cheryl smirked, happy that Toni seemed to want this just as badly as she did. She gently pushed Toni's shoulders down so that she was laying on her back.

"Can I take these off?" She asked hesitantly as she hooked her fingers into Toni's shorts. Toni nodded eagerly before Cheryl tugged them down and tossed them aside.

She positioned herself on top of Toni and kissed her again as she moved a hand to her breast, squeezing gently and gliding her thumb over her hardening nipple.

"Fuck, babe," Toni breathed, closing her eyes. She couldn't focus on anything but how fucking good she felt and how fucking hot the girl on top of her was.

Cheryl took Toni's words as a good sign to continue, but as she inched her hand lower down Toni's toned stomach, she began to feel a little nervous. As badly as she wanted to touch her, she had never done this before. What if she did something wrong or just wasn't good at it? She really wanted to make Toni feel good. Her hesitation was obvious as her hand rested at the hem of Toni's underwear. After a moment, Toni reached town and grabbed it.

"Do you want to stop?"

"No, not at all. I'm sorry, I'm just nervous... I've never done this before," Cheryl said quietly, her cheeks turning red with embarrassment.

Toni tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "It's okay, neither have I.. not with a girl, I mean." She stumbled over her words, nerves getting the best of her as well. "Never with someone as beautiful as you."

Cheryl smiled and kissed her again as her hand slipped beneath the fabric of Toni's underwear. She moved a finger slowly down to her entrance and back up. She almost moaned at how wet Toni was already. Clearly she had been doing something right.

She sat up, hooking her fingers into her panties and quickly pulling them down to her ankles before Toni kicked them off. Before Cheryl could continue, Toni stopped her.

"Wait... It's only fair if you're completely naked too," she smirked.

Cheryl had always been confident in her body, but Toni wanting to get her completely naked made her feel even better. It was nice to feel wanted. Her nervousness started to melt away as excitement and desire took over her body.

She stood up next to the bed and carefully slid her red panties down her long, pale legs, leaving both of them completely naked. Neither of them had been so vulnerable with another person before, but it only made the atmosphere more intimate. All that mattered was the two of them in this moment.

"Perfect," was all she managed to say as she stared at Cheryl's naked body. Cheryl climbed back into her position on top of her, moving her hand down Toni's body again until she reached her clit. Toni immediately moaned as Cheryl moved her fingers in slow circles around it.

Cheryl was completely mesmerized by the look of pleasure on Toni's face and the sounds she was making as Cheryl continued to move her fingers around her clit, experimenting with different speeds and pressures to see what reactions she could get. It wasn't long before Toni's moans got a little louder and her nails began digging into Cheryl's back.

Cheryl knew she was close, but she was enjoying this too much to have it end so soon. She moved her fingers away from her clit back down to her entrance and slowly slid two fingers inside her, feeling so thankful that she had decided to get rid of her long nails before this trip. She felt so tight around her fingers, Cheryl wondered briefly if it was possible to cum without even being touched. Seeing Toni like this and feeling her clench around her fingers was nearly enough to send her over the edge.

She moved her fingers in and out slowly and rhythmically, careful not to be too rough. Toni's heavy breathing and soft moans were like music to her ears and after a few minutes she started pumping her fingers faster and rubbing her thumb against Toni's clit, sending her into a mind blowing orgasm. Cheryl enjoyed the view of Toni completely letting go, but even better than the view was the feeling of Toni's walls fluttering around her fingers. She really did that. And she was quite proud of herself for it.

Cheryl leaned down to kiss her as she tried to catch her breath, still in disbelief that she had just done that.

"Holy shit.. are you sure you've never done that before? Because that was amazing," Toni said, closing her eyes in her post-orgasm bliss.

Cheryl smiled as she traced the outline of Toni's abs with her finger. "I'm sure.. and you're amazing," she said shyly.

After taking a moment to recover, Toni sat up, pulling Cheryl up with her.

"Your turn," she smirked as she pulled Cheryl onto her lap to straddle her. Cheryl immediately put her arms around Toni's neck, ready for whatever was about to happen.

She giggled at Toni's eagerness, but her laugh quickly turned into a moan as Toni began kissing her neck again. She moved her hands slowly up the smooth skin of Cheryl's sides until she reached her chest. She gently squeezed her breasts and moved her thumbs carefully over her nipples, causing Cheryl to gasp with pleasure.

By now, Cheryl was aching to be touched. The thought of what Toni was about to do to her made her shiver in anticipation.

"You okay?" Toni asked as Cheryl gripped her shoulders tighter.

Cheryl nodded, face flushed and already breathing heavily. "I just..."

Toni moved a hand down from her breast to her thigh, rubbing it gently as she waited for her to finish her sentence. Seeing she was at a loss for words, Toni inched her hand closer to her center before touching her clit gently. "Is this what you want?"

Cheryl only responded with another nod and a high pitched moan, desperate for some relief.

Toni rubbed small circles around her clit until Cheryl began moving her hips to meet the movement of her fingers, her orgasm already rapidly approaching.

After a moment, Toni used her free hand to steady Cheryl's hips before slowly slipping a finger inside of her. Cheryl moaned her name loudly, unable to hold back anymore. She was unbelievably wet as Toni slowly moved in and out of her.

"More," Cheryl breathed as she began rolling her hips again.

Toni slipped a second finger inside of her, amazed at the sight of Cheryl riding her fingers. It was definitely the hottest thing she had ever seen.

She allowed Cheryl to set the pace before thrusting her fingers in and out to match the movement of her hips. Cheryl closed her eyes as her mouth fell slightly open and her brow furrowed in pleasure. After a few moments of grinding her hips hard onto Toni's fingers, she stopped, nearly screaming Toni's name and collapsing her head onto Toni's shoulder.

Toni carefully removed her fingers and rubbed Cheryl's back as she recovered, both of them speechless and exhausted in response to what just happened.

Speechless and exhausted- but happy. Maybe happier than they had ever been in their entire lives. Toni held Cheryl on her hap for a long time, stroking her hair and rubbing her back.

She glanced at the clock. It was almost 4 am. The ocean seemed pretty calm and the fear of another storm had disappeared. Toni could only think of Cheryl and how she wished this night would never end. This gave her an idea.

"Hey," she whispered.

Cheryl leaned back to look at her.

"Do you wanna take a nap and then watch the sun rise?"

Cheryl smiled and kissed her. "I'd love to," she said, finally climbing off of her lap and crawling under the covers.

Toni set the alarm clock and then curled up next to Cheryl facing her back and snaked an arm around her waist. She gently kissed her shoulder before closing her eyes. Despite her exhaustion, she couldn't wait to wake up to this- Cheryl naked, in her arms. She hoped this would be the first of many nights like this.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took way longer than I wanted it to, but life got in the way and I didn’t have as much time, but it’s finally here and that’s what matters. 
> 
> So here we go, the last chapter. I’ve had so much fun writing this and I really hope you guys enjoy this ending. Please comment and let me know what you think!

Naps are hard to wake up from, especially after staying awake for most of the night. This is why, despite planning to watch the sunrise, Toni quickly hit the snooze button on the alarm clock after it started beeping annoyingly.

Cheryl, in her position of little spoon, turned to face Toni, who still hadn't opened her eyes. She couldn't help the smile that always crossed her face when she looked at Toni, especially when she was sleeping so peacefully, oblivious to the world around her.

"TT...." she whispered.

"Hmm?" Toni hummed in response.

Cheryl tucked a strand of hair behind Toni's ear. "I thought we were going to watch the sun rise."

Toni tightened her grip around Cheryl's waist under the covers. "We are," she mumbled, despite making no effort to get out of bed or even open her eyes.

Cheryl sighed. It seemed that it was going to take a little more effort to get her out of bed if they were going to make it outside in time to see the sunrise, and today being their last opportunity to watch it on this trip, she really didn't want to miss it. She tossed the blankets off of her hoping the movement would somehow encourage Toni to get up as well, and was suddenly reminded that she was still completely naked from last night.

"I'm going to shower," she said as she stood up and began making her way to the tiny bathroom. She looked over her shoulder as she walked away to see no movement at all from Toni.

"You're welcome to join me if you want," she added casually. Toni's eyes immediately shot open as Cheryl tried to contain her laughter.

* * *

 

They made it out to the deck shortly before the sun began peaking out over the horizon, painting the sky beautiful shades of pink and orange. Toni's mind drifted to the last time she watched the sunrise and how it made her feel the loss of her grandfather even more deeply than usual.

But this time was different. She rested her head on Cheryl's shoulder as she wrapped her arms around her waist underneath the large blanket they were sharing. This time she wasn't on the verge of tears. Instead, she just felt an overwhelming sense of calm and contentment.

They sat quietly in their embrace as they watched the sky, until Cheryl finally spoke.

"So last night was.... incredible," she said as she blushed at the memory.

"Yeah, it was," Toni said squeezing her waist a little tighter. "You are incredible."

Cheryl smiled. "I'm glad you think so."

There was another lull in the conversation as Toni gathered her thoughts, deciding then and there that there was something she needed to say, something that couldn't wait until they got back to Riverdale.

She cleared her throat and sat up a little straighter, moving her head off of Cheryl's shoulder so she could look at her. "We should do that more often," she said matter-of-factly.

"What... have sex?" amused at Toni's slightly awkward declaration.

"Yeah, I mean, if you want to of course," she said stumbling over her words a bit. "And maybe I could take you out on a real date... like not on a boat?"

Cheryl giggled. She had never seen Toni so awkward and nervous before, but it was adorable. "I'd like that, TT," she said before kissing the shorter girl's cheek.

Toni continued, finally saying what she had been trying to say all along. "I know all this happened really fast, but I really like you and I was hoping that maybe you'd want to be my girlfriend," she said in a bit of a rush.

"Really?" Cheryl asked, already beaming with happiness.

Toni nodded as Cheryl threw her arms around her neck, hugging her tightly. "Of course I'll be your girlfriend, Toni," she said before leaning back to kiss her sweetly.

Toni exhaled a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding and smiled, yet again wondering how she got so lucky.

* * *

 

After a few more hours of sailing, the small town of Riverdale came into view. Cheryl sat quietly on the deck as Toni steered the boat towards the harbor. As they approached, Cheryl stood behind Toni, wrapping her arms around her and resting her chin on her shoulder.

"You know, the sight of this god forsaken town isn't so depressing now that I have you," she said.

Toni smiled and turned around to kiss her before turning back to the wheel and maneuvering the boat into its assigned spot in the harbor. It was bittersweet. It was time for each of them to go back to their own reality after a week of freedom, but this time, at least they would have each other.

As they packed up their things, Toni paused to look at the photos on the wall next to the bed. There were a lot of older photos, many of her and her grandfather, but there were almost as many new photos from this week, some of them even covered up the old ones. They would serve as reminders of what was one of the best experiences of her life thus far.

After a few minutes, Cheryl spoke from outside the open door on the deck. "Ready when you are."

Toni sighed and swung her bag over her shoulder before walking outside to join her girlfriend and closing the door behind her. She stepped up onto the dock and then took Cheryl's hand, helping her up as well, just as she had done the night they met. Keeping their fingers intertwined, they began the short walk back to the parking lot where they had left their cars.

As they walked, Cheryl's phone started blowing up, receiving a weeks worth of text messages all at once. To her disgust, most of them were from her mother. She sighed in frustration, running her fingers through her hair as she read the messages as they appeared on the screen. The thought of seeing her mother made her feel physically sick. It had been less than five minutes since they had left the boat, and already reality was slapping her in the face.

"Your mom?" Toni asked casually, not wanting to be too nosy.

Cheryl nodded but said nothing. She didn't even want to think about how her mother would punish her when she got home.

The remainder of the walk to the parking lot was pretty quiet. Once they got to Cheryl's car, there was a pause. They just stood there, not really knowing what to say, and not wanting to leave. What do you say after an experience like the one they had that week? Opting to forget about words for now, Toni dropped her bag to the ground and hugged Cheryl tightly. Cheryl did the same, trying to fight back tears.

"Text me when you get home, okay?" Cheryl said with a shaky voice.

"I will," Toni said before kissing her.

They stood there a moment longer, foreheads pressed together, not wanting to let go.

"I'll see you later, bombshell," Toni said with a sad smile.

"Bye, TT," Cheryl said, wiping a tear from her eye.

And that was it. The moment they had dreaded for a week. They finally had to part ways after being in each other's presence every minute of every day for a whole week. For some people, a week might seem like a long time to spend confined to a small boat, but for Toni and Cheryl, a week wasn't enough. The time seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.

So much happened during that week. It was special, and both girls knew it. It was the start to something good, something beautiful. Little did they know at the time, but the boat would be a place of many firsts for them. It had already been the place where they had their first kiss, and had sex for the first time.

But three months later it would be where they had their first fight after Toni made plans to hang out with Fangs and Sweet Pea one Friday night instead of Cheryl. After arguing through text all night, they met up at the boat the next morning to talk and after some yelling and crying, mostly on Cheryl's part, they managed to sort everything out and make up.

Six months later, while sailing out to watch the sunset, another first occurred. It had been an awful day for Cheryl. She had argued with her mother a lot that day, and Toni had suggested a sunset excursion in an effort to cheer her up. After crying in Toni's arms for what felt like hours, the sun was setting, Toni was still holding her. Toni was everything she would ever need and more. She let the words slip without much thought. "I love you, Toni." And Toni didn't even hesitate to say it back.

Almost two years later they found themselves on another sailing adventure, this time going back to the island they visited when the first met. Toni nervously toyed with her grandma's ring inside her pocket. Cheryl was completely oblivious, sunbathing on the deck. The plan was to wait until they got there and have a romantic walk on the beach, but as Toni continued to roll the ring around her fingers, she decided she couldn't wait until then. So there, in the middle of the ocean on the sailboat, Toni got down on one knee. Of course, Cheryl said yes.

It didn't take long for Toni to start associating the boat with Cheryl and her memories with her rather than the memories she had with her grandfather. She still missed him of course, but she couldn't help but think of Cheryl every time she saw the boat or thought of the ocean. No matter what happened in life or within their relationship, they would always think back to where it all started, that week they spent at sea falling for each other, and how amazing it felt to leave all their worries behind and just sail away, happily unanchored.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve got some more ideas for other fics, I just need the time to start working on them. We’ll see what happens. 
> 
> Thank you all again for reading!


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